Traces of early man dating back millions of years have been found in East Africa, and the region has witnessed great migrations of Africa's earliest inhabitants over the centuries. Today's Kenya is a melting pot of cultures and languages and is home to 40 indigenous ethnic groups. The Kikuyu are the largest group; their god lives on Mount Kenya, and traditionally most Kikuyu build their houses with the door facing the mountain. Of the most striking of the other groups are the Masai, who wear red robes and beaded jewelry, and the Samburu, with their intricately braided hair and body paint. The Swahili culture lends an Arabian atmosphere to the coast, while some of the more remote ethnic groups still practice traditional ways of life as they have done for hundreds of years. In the 1940s, Joy Adamson, of Born Free fame and an accomplished artist, was commissioned to paint over 500 portraits of Kenya's people in traditional dress. Many of these portraits now hang in Nairobi's National Museum and are a lasting testament to Kenya's rich cultural history.
Kenya was one of the greatest bastions of the British Empire, and its temperate climate and good agricultural land attracted settlers and farmers. In the early years this was the gin-and-tonic set who met at Nairobi's famous Norfolk Hotel. Then in the 1930s, the Happy Valley set scandalized colonial circles. They were a distinct community of upper-class white English people who, fuelled by the ready availability of more exotic substances such as cocaine and morphine, attracted a reputation for loose morals and wild behavior. A popular joke referring to the Happy Valley set is: "Are you married, or do you live in Kenya?"
After the violent Mau Mau Rebellion in the 1950s, which targeted white farms and demanded more rights for indigenous Kenyans, Kenya became independent from Britain in 1963. President Jomo Kenyatta successfully led the country through a prosperous and stable period until his death in 1978. He was known as Mzee, "the wise old one" in KiSwahili, not only by his own people but also by a wide array of world leaders. The 1980s and '90s didn't fare so well under the presidency of Daniel arap Moi, and this period was characterized by corruption, ethnic spats, and violent protests. But the present government, elected in 2002 and under the leadership of President Mwai Kibaki, is making great strides to reverse these trends.
