The Python of the Sacred Forest

Every Mijikenda kaya (sacred forest village) has a guardian spirit. In the main kaya, this spirit often takes the form of a giant Python. The Python is not seen as an evil creature but as a protector of the people and the forest. It is said that the Python guards the fingo, a pot containing powerful protective medicines buried at the center of the kaya. A story is told of a time when enemies tried to invade a kaya. They entered the forest but could not find the village, as it was magically hidden. As they searched, the giant Python appeared on the path before them. Its size was so immense and its eyes so mesmerizing that the invaders were overcome with a supernatural fear. They dropped their weapons and fled the forest, never to return. The Python guardian had protected the people without a single drop of blood being shed. This is why it was forbidden to kill pythons within the sacred forests, as they were the living embodiments of the kaya's protective power.