Introduction and Preface Summary and Analysis

Facing Mount Kenya: The Tribal Life of the Gikuyu, by Jomo Kenyatta, is an ethnography of the Gikuyu tribe of Kenya, Africa. The book discusses the family life, political structure, land tenure policies, educational system, and religious system of the tribe, as well as discussing many other aspects in an effort to educate the public about the intricacies of this developing tribe.

The Introduction, written by Bronislav Malinowski, a friend and instructor of Kenyatta, introduces the reader to several concepts within the book. Malinowski seeks not to introduce Kenyatta as an unbiased writer, but to point out that it is Kenyatta's own experiences in the Gikuyu tribe that make him able to write such an authoritative document on the tribe and their lives and customs. He points out that Kenyatta is highly educated, extremely intelligent, and one...