Advertise

Advertise

Mwananyamala hot springs’ cultural value fading

 

The Mwananyamala springs in Dzombo, Kwale County, have for years played a significant role in the culture of the Mijikenda people.

The 300-acre site where Kaya elders perform their rituals is also a tourist attraction that draws many visitors.
Recently, the four small hot springs have been reduced to only bubbles.

Locals are now worried that the cultural value of the site is slowly fading away. The water is cooling, said 63-year-old John Mutua, a resident of Dzombo.

He has lived in the area for four decades and has seen the hot springs transform from a community magical wonder to a gazetted and marked tourist site.

“We would bring our eggs and cassavas to boil here. But this is no longer happening. For some years now, when you put the food there it does not cook. The water temperatures have reduced,” Mr Mutua said.

The Maji Moto hot springs include four small hot springs, where underground water reaches the surface while still hot.

Not only is it a tourist attraction, it is also a shrine for locals and the elderly where they conduct their prayers, Mr Mutua said.

They would also offer sacrifices there during drought to call for rain.

Dzumba residents at one of the sites used as a shrine at Mwananyamala springs in Kwale County.

Siago Cece I Nation Media Group

“Old men, especially the Mijikenda, used to come here to appease their traditional gods. They would sing and dance and make their sacrifices while slaughtering an animal. It is believed the special prayers were to protect the land,” he said.

The change in water temperature could be the result of people going against the beliefs of locals, with rules set for people visiting the hot springs, said Susan Masai.

Breaking these rules, she said, could be one of the reasons the shrine is losing its value.

“My father would tell me that any woman who was breastfeeding or on her monthly period would not be allowed near the springs. Anyone putting on perfume and children without teeth were also not allowed to move close to the water. Only young boys and men were allowed,” she said, adding that the place had ‘powerful spirits’.

People would fetch water from the springs for bathing, she said. With different tribes, religions and communities settling in the area, she said, it had become hard for them to abide by the traditions of the Mijikenda.

One of the Mwananyamala springs in Dzombo, Kwale County.

Siago Cece I Nation Media Group

“Because we go to church, we no longer believe in such traditions. The traditional values have been eroded by modern ways. We believe that these are natural waters. There are also different tribes settling in, hence breaking the cultural norms of the Mijikenda,” she explained.

She pointed to a bushy cylindrical spot where it is believed elephants once drowned. No one is allowed to walk near the area because locals believe the ‘ground would swallow them’ as it is shaky.

Other animals such as cows and goats are also believed to have disappeared after stepping into the area. Herders now avoid the site when grazing their animals.

There are also two shrines in the area, and residents refer to one as male and the other as female.

The female one is a hot spring. But the male one has a stone and a stunted baobab tree. At the shrines, there is evidence of recent activities, as there are remains of burning essence and bottles of what is believed to be perfumes used in rituals.

As locals contemplate fears that the shrine is losing its value and the water might soon turn cold, a geologist says that is not the case.

The Mwananyamala springs were formed because of a dyke that exists in the area, said Francis Wafula, the Coast regional mining officer.

The dyke is a fractured zone in a volcanic area formed because of the Dzombo hill that is adjacent to the hot springs.

Volcanic activities underground that are still active heat up the water.

He explained that the temperature of the water can drop because of reduced volcanic activities underground.

“The volcanic activities have indeed slowed down. It means less heat is being generated and that is why the water may not be as hot as it used to be. But the more the volcanic activity, the more the heat and the hotter the water will become,” he explained.

He said there was no evidence that the water would one day turn cold. As long as the earth is still spinning, more underground movements will take place that will produce heat.

The geologist added that the process will change from time to time and the waters cannot be at a constant temperature all the time.

Despite the fears of locals that the waters will cool off permanently, the county government has started marking all tourist attraction sites, including the Mwananyamala springs, and developing them to benefit host communities.

The springs are being fenced and gated. A hotel is also being built at the site.    BY DAILY NATION   

No comments

Translate