The River Between

In the middle of the night, Kamau summons Waiyaki for a mysterious meeting with the Kiama. At the meeting, Kabonyi accuses Waiyaki of betraying the tribe by visiting Joshua’s church, conspiring with the white missionaries in Siriana, and marrying Joshua’s daughter, Nyambura. Waiyaki insists that these are all false charges and that he has never spoken to Joshua. As the Kiama presses him, Waiyaki realizes that they are asking him to submit to their tribal purity, even if that destroys his vision for unity.

Waiyaki tries to convince the Kiama that the ridges need to be united, and that Christians and non-Christians can come together. The elders insist that Waiyaki is not willing to fight the white people. They want a political leader—someone who will take action. When Waiyaki will not answer the question of whether he loves Nyambura, the Kiama reminds him that he took an oath of purity, which forbids him from marrying such a woman. As Waiyaki leaves, the elders call him a “traitor.” Kabonyi tells the elders he has been right about Waiyaki all along. They reflect that Nyambura turned him against the tribe and decide that all Christians must be circumcised “by force.”