Play time: 03:22 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, February 19, 2014.

Isindu

Henry Nyareso

Luganu llala lwavaho nu utsire havundu vakuhere kindu uhira ingo. Noho mutende, nu mmenya kuli jamii. Mundu mulala yatsya mu vugeni yamanya natula yo na vya vamuha nasinza ingoko. Vakusyera vakulugire vukima vwali vwa gekabu vindu vilahi na tsaidi chukulya. Vandu vatanga kumanya uli ki yo na ugingi ku. Ku mundu mulala yatsya ni vamuha kindu, yaretera ku vandi dave na lwa vwasha mugamba vandi ni vamuteva wa watsya watsitsa hai? na warira ki? Yamanya najiba ndarira musembe gwa rikondi.

Vandi vamuteva achi wakuretera ku naye navora ndareta. Vamuteva kindu chi chakunyagira lwa wareta? Navora chindu cha musembe chanyagira handangu yaha. Vamuteva aki wakuva tsikuyiri naye navola ndakuba. Vammbolela wakubaga ndi? Naye mama fwefwe kayambe nduli. Hene yahoo ma vatangiraho yatuha tonde, tande mangure, amangure, mangure ngwegwe. Ngwegwe ngwegwe vayanzi avayanzi vayanzi vagavo. Avagavo vagovo ninga. Aninga ninga zaza azaza zaza hammbo hammbo mmbo kaviri, akaviri kaviri nyambura anyambura nyambura jibi. Avana vange vasyetsa mmbere ga ndeda. Shikuku shari ndeda. Shikuku shari ndeda, kakumanya nuzire kukava chulya kenyeka ugavire ku vandi. Kwali nende mima ja vasakulu vetu vakola, kindu kuli tsisindu kutuga.

Inzi mbotso guku yatuga tsisindu, yanyola tsisindu tsira mpaka areta kulya ku. Mu limenya lya Africa kwagavulana chosi cho unyole. Vandi variku na tsisindu kunyola madiku ganu ni tsindi sana. Ni vadi sana va unyala kunyola vatuga tsisindu, vayanzila limenya lya manyonyi gene yako.

Quails

There was a story that when you go somewhere, if you are given something, you take it home. Or you stay with your neighbors as a family. Someone went to a party and came back he slaughtered a chicken. They were good things, and food at most. When one arrived they were curious to know what he ate there and what he carried back home. Someone went to a party and did not bring home anything, the following day they asked him, you went where? And you ate what? He replied I ate the tail of a sheep.

People wished to have it and he said I brought. They asked him what snatched him when he brought. He said something with a tail snatched him. And asked him why he did not scream, he said I screamed. They asked how he did it and he said mama fwefwe kayambe am out. There ma vatangiraho yatuha tonde, tande mangure, amangure, mangure ngwegwe. Ngwegwe ngwegwe vayanzi avayanzi vayanzi vagavo. Avagavo vagovo ninga. Aninga ninga zaza azaza zaza hammbo hammbo mmbo kaviri, akaviri kaviri nyambura anyambura nyambura jibi. Avana vange vasyetsa mmbere ga ndeda. Shikuku shari ndeda. Shikuku shari ndeda, kakumanya nuzire kukava chulya kenyeka ugavire ku vandi. We had customs that our grandfather used to do. Like keeping quails.

The sister to my grandmother used to keep quails, she used to bring the quails to us. In the African life, we used to share everything that you get. People had quails but nowadays it is had to find quails. You will find very few people keeping quails. They liked the lifestyle of those birds.