The mysterious Tigania stone

Maua,

September 9, 2023

KNA by Kamanja Maeria and Abigael k. Jadiel

In Thangatha ward, Tigania East constituency, there exists a mysterious rock that is believed to resemble a female genitalia due to its articulated vulva shape and appearance. 

The rock is commonly known by the locals as “iiga ria ngutu" meaning a rock owned by circumcised women. The rock is like a cave and from the outside, one can see its shape.

 The rock has a cold stream flowing out of it which is believed to possess healing power, thereby attracting religious persons from different walks of lives who come for the water to perform healing and other miracles to their followers and loved ones.

The water which comes out in the middle of the rock is also perceived to be clean and can be consumed directly without boiling.

In the past, the rock was known as “Nyumba ê ngutu". ''Nyumba'' stands for a house or hut and ''ngutu'' means a circumcised woman, however the tourists who visit the place have eroded the name because what they see is a stone not a house.

According to the residents, the rock was used as hideout by Mau Mau during colonial period as well as a cleansing site for ‘Nkenye’, the uncircumcised girls before undergoing the cut. 

The residents believed that once the initiates bathed with the water, they could take a short time to heal and no misfortune would befall them during the entire process.

“Girls used to bathe with the cold water flowing out of the rock before circumcision, since the place was believed to be holy and girls could heal quickly,” maintained Julia Thirindi, an old grandmother and a resident from the area.

She explained that the rock was initially called “Nyumba ê ngutu” because it was dark from inside, which greatly resembled the hut where circumcised girls were kept for about three weeks to heal after circumcision.

Thirindi noted that the hut for female initiates was supposed to be dark, to help the initiates become light skinned during their healing period so as to attract suitors when they graduate to adulthood.

“After people saw the features and dark appearance of the rock, it was named ‘Nyumba ê ngutu’ because it resembled the traditional huts where girls were kept after circumcision.’’ She said, adding that the rock owned the name for the traditional hut for initiates but didn’t serve the purpose.

Thirindi added that with the site gaining attraction from both locals and international tourists, the name was changed to ''iiga ria ngutu'' since the rock greatly resembled female genitalia rather than a hut.

Any destruction to the site is highly prohibited and abominable since the place is believed to be holy.

 “During the construction of Maua - Mikinduri road, the constructors left the rock untouched because it is believed that when struck, the water could flood the area and neighboring region since the source of the ever-flowing water has never been identified,” she noted.

The eye-catching site has also created business opportunities for the residents who sell beverages, fruits, and tubers like cassava and sweet potatoes to visitors and travelers who make stops at the site.

Courtesy; KNA