The Taita people (the Wataita or Wadawida) are a Kenyan ethnic group located in the Taita-Taveta District. They speak Kidawida which belongs to the Bantu languages. The West-Bantu moved to the area of the Taita-Taveta District first approximately in 1000-1300.[1]
The Taita people migrated to Kenya through Tanzania. They migrated to Kenya in five group each settling at different places of the present Taita Taveta district in Kenya. While settling in these areas the taita speaking people interacted with other communities or tribes particularly the Taveta, the Pare of Tanzania, the borana**, the wakamba and the maasai. It is important here to identify the influence of this so called Borana** group. While it is not clear about the Borana/cushitic group it is well understood that this group sometimes referred to as purerly Ethiopic and sometimes said to have been a migrant Falasha(Jewish) that settled in Taita Hills after conflicts in the Ethiopia (Baseline Report for Lake Jipe gives account of the Ethiopic Taita) or settled at the area during some migration south. It is not well documented and research here has not brought out the influence of this group that was locally known as Wambisha (probably WaHABESH or Wabisinia, WaAbysinia). This group settled at Paranga, Ghazi at Mwakajo and on the hilly Taita where they had a great influence in iron smelting. This can be evidenced the presence of iron smelting kilns found at Kishushe (wafiti) and some parts of Mghange and Werugha. The Wabisinia/waHabesh (Wambisha) today are not mentioned a lot while there are clans living that are direct descendants but living within the Dawida community. The existence of the Wambisha is not a secrete but no research has been carried out on this group of people who have had a great impact on the language and cultures of the Taita people such as in traditions like divination (kuzighana wula). During the migrations of the Dawida in five groups/clans including the Wanyanya, waisanu, wanya, waikumi and wasasadu coming from the southern Kenya some clans through Moshi, Tanzania and another group from Singwaya where they lived side by side with the Mijikenda and the Pokomo and Bajuni. These people came and found the Wambisha already established on the Taita Hills and lived side by side. Conflicts probably due to land appeared and the Wambisha who were very few could not survive but intermarried within the Dawida group and today we still have clans that have roots from the Wabisinia (Wambisha)group. These clans can be found in Nyache, Mbale, Mbololo and Ghazi.
There are sub groups or subtribes of Taita. They can be divided into Wadawida who traditionally lived around the Dawida, the Wasagalla who lived around the Saghalla and the Wakasighau who lived around the Kasighau massif of the Taita Hills. The Saghalla people speak Kisaghala which is much closer to the Kigiriama or mijikenda (nine tribes who speak almost same language). The Kasighau are more closer to the pare and chagga of Tanzania but are taita speaking people.
Traditionally the Taita tribe consisted of lineages/clans (vichuku, kichuku singular). Each lineage occupied its own territorial area of the hills.[2] These lineages were autonomous political units and before the colonialism there did not develop an idea or a consciousness of a unified Taita tribe.[3]
Today the language of the taita (kidawida, kitaita) is an enriched language full of shared words from chagga, wakamba, pare, maasai, kikuyu, mijikenda and the cushitic communities they lived with. One can also notice the sharing of names among the taita people and the mijikenda and even the chagga, kamba and other communities. For example Mijikenda names in Taita Kalimbo, Mwatela, Ngao, Chari (for girl child), Chaka, Mg(h)anga,Kandoro and many more.
In dialects taita people have very many dialects. The mbololo taita have their own, Bura taita have another, Wusi,Kidaya, Mghange, Chawia, Mwanda, Kishamba, Werugha,Wundanyi, These are the so called Dawidas. Kisaghalla and the Kasighau are rather independent dialects and when visiting the other Taita Massifs they would say "we are going to Dawida" While some cultures among the Saghala, Kasighau and Dawida were shared like the skull "burials" in caves and rock shelters, there were small variations among the Dawida and the Saghalla. While the Dawida only kept the skulls of old men above seventy years, the Saghala kept women and children skulls as well as the men. In some parts of Saghala they had places where they kept skulls of any other communities that died in their territory. There were also other traditions such as the secrete cult of the Wabasi. While the origin of this tradition is not very much known it thrived in Taita. The Wabasi were a feared group of people (cult) in Taita. Anybody who joined the Wabasi cult can not be buried by non Abasi (singular). They had their sacred forests and meeting places. In their weaponry one will be able to find a buckler in mwanda taitas because of their interaction with the Maasai but not in the other taita groups. There are words like abbo, abba which have a cushitic root and which are borrowed from the borana who lived in taita during the migration.
Mwangeka, a legendary figure for the taitas, resisted the British colonists from approaching the lands of the wataita.
Religion: The spectacular Taita Hills were the focus for religious activity and there are huge Rocks (Magamba), and Caves known as 'Mbanga' that were considered very sacred and places for the dead and for worship. In their early life the caves also offered security and places of shelter. At the caves the skulls of the dead were arranged according to Clans/ lineages. The caves also acted also as isolation wards for dreaded diseases infected patients. The sick would be isolated and confined to the caves and food provided to them at the caves. If a patient survives he/she would be allowed to rejoin the community. Forests (some) also were important sacred places and people were prohibited from carrying any other activities in turn also helping a great deal in Conservation. The sacred forests are known as Fighi and they are the equivalent of the Mijikenda's Kaya.
The Dawida people are highly superstitious, probably explaining why they embrace Christianity passionately as well.
The Wadawida is the correct name to the Taita people community of Kenya.
The hills and rocks on the other extreme served as grounds for discipline and instilling fear; criminals were taken up the rocks and thrown down to their death. In the caves also lived some of the largest poisonous snakes and other dangerous creatures.