| When We Began There Were Witchmen |
| Acknowledgments |
 | Introduction: The Oral Traditions |
| • | Collecting The Traditions |
| Age-Sets: The Meru Dating System |
| • | Working Backward: Age-Sets As Guides To The Past |
| Do These Traditions Reflect Reality? |
| • | Do Africans Distort Data? |
| • | Oral History Is Swiftly Dying |
| Chapter I Traditions of Origin: Mysterious Mbwaa |
| • | Mbwaa: The Meru Beginnings |
| • | Where Was Mbwaa? |
| • | Elders' Klamas: The Council System |
| • | Ancestral Spirits: The Religious System |
| • | Mugiro: The Curse |
| Cursing Rituals: The "Witchcraft" System |
| • | Ugwe, Uroria: Prophecy |
| • | Urogi: Cursing |
| • | Uga: Curse Removal |
| • | Uringia: Curse Detection |
| • | Returning To Kiama: The Rituals Of Reconciliation |
| • | Three Systems: Meru Social Controls |
| Chapter II Enslavement Traditions: Persecution and Flight |
| • | Nguo Ntuni: The Invaders |
| • | Who Were The Nguo Ntuni? |
| • | Persecution And Flight |
| • | Why Did They Flee? |
| • | The Migration |
| • | Why Into The Desert? |
| The Fringe Communities |
| • | Aturi: The Ironsmiths |
| • | A-Athi: The Hunters |
| • | Ngaaruni: Into The Desert |
| • | Kagairo: The Second Fragmentation |
| Chapter III Mount Kenya Traditions: Fragmentation and War |
| • | Ax, Red Clay, And Firestick: Forming "Ridgetop" Communities |
| • | Men Of The Mainstream: Continued Fragmentation |
| • | "Fringemen": The Evolution Of A-Athi |
| Mount Kenya: Expulsion Of Earlier Occupants |
| • | Cushitic Speakers: Mukuguru, Ukara, Muoko |
| • | Kalenjin Speakers: Umpua, Agumba |
| • | Maa Speakers: Il Tikirri, Il Maasai |
| Chapter IV Traditions of Deviance: Evolution on the Fringes |
| • | Nthaka: The Warriors |
| • | Aroria: The Prophets |
| • | The "Deviants" |
| • | The Uplanders: Kiamas Of Crop Protection |
| • | The Lowlanders: Kiamas Of The Stomach |
| • | The Flatlanders: Kiamas Of Kidnappers |
| • | From Nkoma To Mwaa: An Evolving Kiama |
| • | Mwaa: A Kiama Of Clowns |
| • | Prophets, Warriors, Deviants: Continued Fragmentation |
| • | Warriors Versus Elders; Warriors Versus Deviants |
| Chapter V Capitulation Traditions: The Coming of England |
| • | Achunku: Red Strangers |
| • | The Battle Of Embu |
| • | The Coming Of England |
| • | Mbogore: Blanket Chieftain |
| • | E. B. Horne ("Kangangi"): The Moment Of Conquest |
| • | Creating Colonialism: The Blanket Chiefdoms |
| • | The Death Of Warriorhood |
| Chapter VI The Extortion Traditions: Dancing Deviants |
| • | Responses To Conquest: The Family Heads (Aruau) |
| • | Aruau Wives: The Kiamas Of Women |
| Dancing Deviants: The Oral History Of The Kagita |
| • | Kagita Origins: Mbwaa |
| • | The Kagita As Stomach Kiama |
| • | The Kagita Before Conquest: The Evolution Of Extortion |
| • | After Conquest: The Kagita As Safety Zone |
| • | Kagita, Kiama, And Kangangi |
| Chapter VII The Colonial Traditions: Dismantling Elderhood |
| • | Kangangi And Kiraune: E. B. Horne And G. St. J. Orde-browne |
| • | The Kiama Of The Few: The Evolution Of The Njuri |
| • | Horne: Penetrating The Njuris |
| • | Horne: Westernizing The Njuri |
| • | Duplication Of Njuri: The Native Tribunal |
| • | Ncaama Zha Anene: Chiefs And Chiefs' Men |
| • | Responses To Conquest: Kiamas Versus Chiefs |
| Chapter VIII Missionary Traditions: Spreading God |
| • | Setting Out: The Era Of Discovery |
| • | Seeking Land: The Era Of Exploring |
| • | Taking Root |
| • | Sowing Seed |
| • | The Costs Of Conversion |
| Chapter IX Anti-Christian Traditions: The War Against Converts |
| • | Gikuyu Converts |
| • | The Scotsmen |
| • | Protestants And Catholics: Opposing The Faith |
| • | Warriors Versus Elder Boys: The War Against Conversion |
| • | The Christian Islands |
| Chapter X Disaster Traditions: There Were Years When Men Ate Thorns |
| • | Disaster Years: When Men Ate Thorns |
| • | Strife Between Age-Sets |
| • | From Pioneers to Pragmatists |
| • | Tinkerers And Destroyers: The Anglicizing Years |
| • | Urogi: Rumors Of Witchcraft |
| • | Illegal Tribunals And Secret Societies |
| Chapter XI Resistance Traditions: Kiamas Underground |
| • | The Wall Of Silence |
| • | The Case Against The Njuri Nceke |
| • | Njuri Underground |
| • | Kagita Underground |
| • | The Evolution Of A-Athi |
| • | Pre-1920s: Migration Downhill |
| • | Mid-1920s: A-athi Mbuju (The "Poisoners") |
| • | Mid-1920s: A-athi Justice |
| • | Late 1920s: A-athi Versus England |
| • | Three Contenders For The Crown |
| Chapter Xll Persecution Traditions: The Wars to End Witchcraft |
| • | The Case Against Witchcraft: Commissioner Lamb |
| • | The Investigators: Hopkins And Lamb |
| • | Mbogore's War On Witchcraft |
| • | Mbogore's War on Fringemen |
| • | War Against Witchcraft: Hopkins And Lamb |
| • | Ritualized "Cleansing": The System Dissolves |
| Chapter XIII Reconciliation Traditions: Meru's Golden Age |
| • | The "Nativist" Administrators |
| • | Restoring Ntuiko: The Transfer Of Power |
| • | Restoring Agambe: The "Spokesmen" System |
| • | Legalizing Njuri: The Council System |
| • | Legalizing Ngome: The Njuri Of The South |
| • | Njuri Versus The "Little Whites" |
| • | Njuri Versus The "Mission Element" |
| • | From Half Njuri To Full Accord |
| • | Njuri Versus Gikuyu: The Meru Golden Age |
| Notes |
| • | Introduction: The Oral Traditions |
| • | Chapter I Traditions of Origin: Mysterious Mbwaa |
| • | Chapter II Enslavement Traditions: Persecution and Flight |
| • | Chapter III Mount Kenya Traditions: Fragmentation and War |
| • | Chapter IV Traditions of Deviance: Evolution on the Fringes |
| • | Chapter V Capitulation Traditions: The Coming of England |
| • | Chapter VI The Extortion Traditions: Dancing Deviants |
| • | Chapter VII The Colonial Traditions: Dismantling Elderhood |
| • | Chapter VIII Missionary Traditions: Spreading God |
| • | Chapter IX Anti-Christian Traditions: The War Against Converts |
| • | Chapter X Disaster Traditions: There Were Years When Men Ate Thorns |
| • | Chapter XI Resistance Traditions: Kiamas Underground |
| • | Chapter Xll Persecution Traditions: The Wars to End Witchcraft |
| • | Chapter XIII Reconciliation Traditions: Meru's Golden Age |
| Bibliography |
| • | Published Books And Articles |
| • | Unpublished Research |
| • | Archival Collections |
| • | Private Papers |
| • | Meru Oral Sources |
| Glossary-Index |
| • | A |
| • | B |
| • | C |
| • | D |
| • | E |
| • | G |
| • | H |
| • | I |
| • | K |
| • | L |
| • | M |
| • | N |
| • | O |
| • | P |
| • | R |
| • | S |
| • | T |
| • | U |
| • | W |
