A Mijikenda elder walks into the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests in east Kenya, April 28, 2013. The Mijikenda Kaya Forests consist of 11 separate forests spreading some 200 kilometers along the coast containing the remains of numerous fortified villages, known as kayas to the Mijikenda people. The kayas, created in the 16th century but abandoned in the 1940s, are now regarded as the abodes of ancestors and maintained as sacred sites by councils of elders. The UNESCO added the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests to the World Heritage List in 2008. (Xinhua/Meng Chenguang)

A Mijikenda elder carries a wooden kettle made of vegetation of the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests in east Kenya, April 28, 2013. The Mijikenda Kaya Forests consist of 11 separate forests spreading some 200 kilometers along the coast containing the remains of numerous fortified villages, known as kayas to the Mijikenda people. The kayas, created in the 16th century but abandoned in the 1940s, are now regarded as the abodes of ancestors and maintained as sacred sites by councils of elders. The UNESCO added the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests to the World Heritage List in 2008. (Xinhua/Meng Chenguang)

Photo taken on April 28, 2013 shows a miniature praying banda of Mijikenda people at the entrance of the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests in east Kenya. The Mijikenda Kaya Forests consist of 11 separate forests spreading some 200 kilometers along the coast containing the remains of numerous fortified villages, known as kayas to the Mijikenda people. The kayas, created in the 16th century but abandoned in the 1940s, are now regarded as the abodes of ancestors and maintained as sacred sites by councils of elders. The UNESCO added the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests to the World Heritage List in 2008. (Xinhua/Meng Chenguang)

Mijikenda elders perform traditional dance at the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests in east Kenya, April 28, 2013. The Mijikenda Kaya Forests consist of 11 separate forests spreading some 200 kilometers along the coast containing the remains of numerous fortified villages, known as kayas to the Mijikenda people. The kayas, created in the 16th century but abandoned in the 1940s, are now regarded as the abodes of ancestors and maintained as sacred sites by councils of elders. The UNESCO added the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests to the World Heritage List in 2008. (Xinhua/Meng Chenguang)

A Mijikenda elder named Chogo Wzai sits on a stool at Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests in east Kenya, April 28, 2013. The Mijikenda Kaya Forests consist of 11 separate forests spreading some 200 kilometers along the coast containing the remains of numerous fortified villages, known as kayas to the Mijikenda people. The kayas, created in the 16th century but abandoned in the 1940s, are now regarded as the abodes of ancestors and maintained as sacred sites by councils of elders. The UNESCO added the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests to the World Heritage List in 2008. (Xinhua/Meng Chenguang)

Photo taken on April 28, 2013 shows a Mijikenda elder at the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests in east Kenya. The Mijikenda Kaya Forests consist of 11 separate forests spreading some 200 kilometers along the coast containing the remains of numerous fortified villages, known as kayas to the Mijikenda people. The kayas, created in the 16th century but abandoned in the 1940s, are now regarded as the abodes of ancestors and maintained as sacred sites by councils of elders. The UNESCO added the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests to the World Heritage List in 2008. (Xinhua/Meng Chenguang)