ARCHITECTURAL MEANINGS OF TREES IN "DWELLING/BUILDING" FOR KIKUYU Architecture-logical study on "dwelling" and "building" : No. 3

Abstract

Kikuyu has had great interests in trees, especially muhugu and muthaiti for the planks of wall of their traditional huts. The grammar of Kikuyu language illustrates well their interests and, among 10 classes of noun, almost all trees, different from other animals arid plants, belong to the class II Avith prefix mu- and mi- which have spirits connected with human being. In their purification ceremonies, trees played the roles as criteria for value jugement. Their "Thinking" caracterized with such interests shows the possibility for regaining the concreteness of "Things" based on their primitive wisdoms on "Dwelling" and "Building" of bricoleur.