Play time: 17:24 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, February 19, 2014.

Rimenya Rya Mulogooli

Henry Nyareso

Inze vananga Henry Nyareso Munangwe. Na inze ni mulogooli na kulondekana na rimenya rya mulogooli, kuli vasakulu vavola vatula Egebeti, vatsa nende mugela gwa Nile. Vatsa vamenya ku mu Congo forest. Alafu vamanya vaze Ivuganda. Vamanya vaze ku lake victoria, nivanina ku matu nivatsa kulanda south Nyanza. Lwa vaduka nyanza vavukana na vakisi. Ni vaza nende munyole, vingila hamaseno harya. Munyole natsya ku vwevwe na mulogooli natigala mu vigulu. Maseno irya wa valanga mungoma. Mulogooli yamanya natsya nalomba limenya lyelye mu luhangaywa. Mu ligina iweneyo kalunu valanga mungoma.

Lwa vamenya hawene yahoo vivula vana. Mulogooli yali na mima tofauti jo kutuga. Jo kulinda va inyumba yeye nende jo kulya ovulimi. Vana vene yavo vaviruka. Mwana wa kutanga ni mutari, mukizungu, ekirimo. Alafu mmavi. Vamanya vamahama vatsya north maragooli mukizungu nava hakari hene yahoo. Mukirima natigara hakatikati na mmavi ne watigala nava hango. Kutula wa mbale yumu kwirana wa indangu irya. Ku mulogooli yali na vana vandi. Tsihiri tsive mu tsya mulgooli vala yivula ichova. Rimenya rya mulogooli lyaviruka chigila vwivuru.

Mulogooli yali wa kwenya kivala kinyingi chigila wanyola wa kulima ma ahenza ho. Yagotela hawene yahoo mu limo na vana vandi. Valogooli shi venya kivala kinyingi shigila kilavalegela okutuga. Yahenzeritsa vya hango na mima, ja vana na limenya llahi. Mulogooli yamenya mu ingoma ilya. Valogooli vahamila mu tsimbega tsinyingi mukenya munu. Nutsya havundu hosi mulogooli ave ho. Serikali ni ijira kuduka idiriji inu kuli valogooli. Mwana yakaduka yakevwa. Kuve na vindu vilala mu rimenya lya mijilo. Kuli kuletana muchiko. Makoso Fulani gave yahoo ga mulogooli yagaya ni mijilo. Ku yegiza vana yava kumenya limenya llahi. Na mukele ne yikala na vakana. Nende mima ja kwegitsa vakana rilomba chukulya.

Kutsya mugela, kulima zingutsa, mwana mwene uyu lwa arinyola inyumba alava mundu wa mima mirahi. Chigira ni yanyoreka shi ave na mima dave, vamukunga. Vavola tsya wege mima kaloleka vakukungi. Ku mulogooli yali na liva lya mima tofauti. Mima ja kumenya, riaiza ku vana vayayi. Litemula kali llima yili valima halala ni valomba chukurya chavo. Lulogooli ni lomolomo lwa mulogooli yavugula kutula mumasayi gavo. Nu unyola vakisii vave ku na matamushi lakini lilomoloma uturitsa mu masayi. Kwanyola luswahili luveho lwa vandu vatula Mombasa. Luswahili lwagwa llimi lwa kumoloma. Vasungu lwa vatsa munu vamanya valeta lusungu. Kusoma vandu vasoma vali kidogo sana, na vandu vasoma yavo vayanza vasungu vikala navo himbi. Na valogooli valola mundu mulavu alavanyagula mulimi gwavo. Noho si ave na mima kuli javo dave, ave na mima jinyala kumuna limenya lya mwafrika. Ku vali ihale ku musungu.

Mu limi lwavo mima jindi jiza mu ja kunyasaye valeta kristo kamanyika niye wa nyasaye yatuma mu vuyahudi. Vatangase ivanjeri yene iyi. Mu limenya lya mulogooli yali yamanya nyasaye. Vatsitsa ku kegulu vasala ne liva llahi, vindu vidamanu si vakola dave. Mmbasu kwavita kandi vahenzeritsa vasala. Vahenza malesi sya gagenda. Ni valomba tsigasi tsyavo kuli mmbasu kuve ku ndina. Avatsya vachiling'ana havundu mmbasu kuvita avasala. Na Nyasaye yaleta imbula. Valogooli na vandu vaveye nende mima javo, ni ja kumenya na liva lya kumanya Nyasaye vali nalyo. Valomba magina gavaka vatsya kusala ku ni valangilila imbula yitse. Vandu vatsya halala vasale. Mu limenya mima jive minyingi.

Chigila mundu nave mumba mweme umanya sya amenya na vana veve dave. Mulogooli yegitsa mima jeje, kaloleka jalonda vana va mulogooli kuli vatsitsa kumenya ni vagavukana rimenya lyelye lifanananga. Na likola lilye. Na kenene ni heshima. Limenya lyelye ni lya kusingilitsa amang'ana malahi. Nende mima milahi. Vindu vidamanu vyali na tsingano tsyamanya vudamanu. Kuli nuve mundu utava musuvilifu, noho vwivwi mulogoli yali na tsingano, yavola vana veve ni vakava halala yamanya natsya nivila mama wewe noho baba wewe chukulya anoho tsingutsa ma vamanya ni vwaha dave. Mulogooli yatsitsa ku mugela alaminyila ku ma atanga livola niva shu uvugule kindu yichi ulasila mugela yuku. Avasila lakini kanyoleka mulala nu ukoli chindu chene yecho wakivisa si wasila dave. Wagwitsa mu matsi mula ma ukutsa.

Live na lyegitsa vudamanu si vuve vulahi mu limenya dave. Kandi lyalombanga atya niva akoli makuva madamanu ganyala kunyola na madamanu. Mu limenya lya mulogooli lyavetsanga mundu akole malahi. Si gave na vudamanu mundu yali niyilinda navola ngola yaga gave ga vulahi. Mulogoli yamanya na ava umundu wa kumenya halala na vandi. Vatende vulahi ku lupande lwa ivugwi ku chivala cha valogooli, vanaandi vali yo na vandu vene yava vali vandu va vulwani. Lakini mulogooli si yali mulwani dave. Lakini lwa yalola vave vatindi kandi naye nalomba tsisilaha, matimu, vuta nende vivavi vya kulwanila vatsigu. Vanaandi yava lwa vali na milimi minyingi, valogooli valwana vanaandi. Ni vavasundu na milimi jene yejo ni vavugula. Navutsa valuhya shi vali na ishida na vanyole dave, na vajaluo yavo. Vulusha kusanga mima na vadiriji vetu vene yava si kwava nende vudinyu navo dave. Valusha vave mu tsa tsimbiri tsinyingi. Kuve na vawanga, kuve na vavugusu. Mulogooli lwa kekevo chatula mpaka ukevwe. Valala vivisa mpaka vaduka vasakulu, vivula vana navutsa lwa kekevo kiduka valagimila mundu uyu.

Vanyola vakevi ma galoleka ni isoni, vamwimbira kali ni tsisoni. Ku mwima gwa mulogooli vasinjira tsa ma mulola ku ni mwima gwetu, nu kusangala makuva kuli gene yaka. Suvira ndarekela musakulu umanyi manyngi kumbita. Vulwale vwava ku kivala kinu. Kwala na mili ja kutumikila. Vitagwa vyamanyangwa vya lunyasi. Mulogooli yamanya vindu yivi na valala vave ho vamanya malaria gave na mili ju kuduya. Unywe malaria gakhatsya. Ni waduya unyola wakuhula tsa vulahi. Daktari vakili kwitsa kunu va kisungu yava da. Mulogoli yali na tsimbinu tsinyingi tsyayamenyela kali tsishida ni tsitsa tsya vulwale. Ne vasuvila mu, vakasala kun oho vite imbuli. Vasalisa umwana magaloleka mwana uyu alaviruka vulahi. Vamanya limenya lilava vulahi. Valogooli vava na mwima gwadukila mu vene.

History of Maragoli

I am Henry Nyareso Munangwe. I am a Maragooli and according to his lifestyle. He originated from Egypt. They came along the Nile River. They came and stayed at congo forest. Then they came to Uganda. They came to lake victoria. They climbed on boat and came to land at south nyanza. When they arrived there they met the Kisii, they came with the Nyore up to Maseno, the Nyore went on his own and the maragoli remained at the hills. The maragooli went to make his living in the open land.

While they were staying there they gave birth to children. He had different way of living. And taking care of the house and the farm. Those children were growing up. The first child belonged to a clan called mutari, mukizungu, ekirimo. Then Mmavi. They migrated to North Maragoli. Mukuzingu clan was at the middle. Mukirima was at the front side of the Mmavi. He remained home. He had other children. Some of the sub-tribes in maragooli are as a result of him giving birth to children outside. His tribe grew as a result of giving birth.

He was a person who wanted a big land because he found a place for digging and concentrated there. He concentrated there on farming with other children. They did not want a big land because they will not manage. He was taking care of the home, children and good life. Valogooli migrated to different parts of Kenya. He is all over the place. The government made us to reach here in Tiriki as Valogooli. When the boy was grown up, he was initiated. He informed his children about the bad things and warned them, he taught them good morals. And the old woman used to stay with the girls. And the way of cooking food.

Getting water. To plant vegetables. So that when she get married she will have good morals. Because if she lacked morals she was chased and asked to go and learn good morals. He had different way of living. Boys were grazing cattle. They dug together and cooked food. He got this language from their blood. Even Kisii share some maragoli words. We found Swahili that was spoken by people from Mombasa. We now speak Swahili. The Whiteman introduced English. Few people received Education. And they lived with the Whiteman while the other Maragoli thought that the Whiteman will grab land from them. Or they had a different lifestyle that could break the African way of life. They stayed away from the Whiteman.

They had a religious life showing that it was God who sent the disciples to spread the gospel. They knew Christ and they went on a hill to pray. They did not do wrong things. When it was sunset they could go to pray. They watched the clouds the way they were moving. As they do their work the way the sun is on. Then they pray. And God brought rain. Valogooli had their way of life. It is about knowing God's ways. They made three stones and prayed. As they ask for rain to come. They prayed together and they were accustomed to different way of life.

Because when someone is in the house you do not know the way he/she is living with his/her children. Maragooli used to teach his morals and it was reflected in his children even when they went away. And the greatest thing was respect. His life was on building good things. And good morals, bad things had their own stories reflecting evil. If you were a person who was not trustworthy he had a story that he told his children together, that when if they steal from their parents or steal food or vegetable and they do not know who did that, he could take these children to the river and ask them to cross the river if they have not stolen and whoever falls will be known as the one who stole. The one who stole whenever he/she could try to cross he could fall inside and die.

It teaches that it is not good to do wrong, in life. It also made one who want's to do evil to shun away from it. His life was to do good things. He stayed together with people. They had Naandi as their neighboring community that was actively involved in war. But a Maragooli was not interested in war. But when he saw that they were persisting with war, he started making his arsenal for war, spears and swords for fighting enemies. Since they had large pieces of land the Maragooli began fighting them as they push them away and take land. But they did not have problems with the other luhya tribes. We have several sub-tribes in luhya. When it was time for initiation, one had to go through initiation. Some could hide until they get old but when it was time for initiation they could get hold of this person.

It was a shame when they were circumcised and people could sing about them. That was our way of life as we celebrate things like these. I believe I will live for the old man, who knows more than me. We had diseases on this world. We also had herbs that we were using. Some knew that Malaria had herbal medicine. If you take malaria goes away. And you feel better. Before the doctors came in. he had several ways of surviving even when sickness came in. they could slaughter a goat after praying, they could bless the child and the child could grow well. They knew their life will be good. They had good morals and they brought us up.