Play time: 11:25 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, February 19, 2014.

Emima Ja Mulogooli

Benjamin Egadwa

Emima ja mulogooli. Mulogooli nu mundu wevurwa omundu mugeri. Si yari ku mundu wa kwirana inyuma dave. Yakora tsa mang'ana gege kurara. Na imburitsani. Ku vandu valogooli varetana baba na mama, avandu vene va kare yava varetana vakaya vanyingi vareta vakari kuduka saba. Ma vivula vana vanyingi kari shirini na saba. Vana vene yava vavarinda vene si vaheza mundu avarindire dave. Kigira mundu ni yari mwami mpaka yibiga kuva mwami, arête vakari vanyingi na vana vanyingi.

Ku mulogooli wari mundu wa tsinganakani hanene hene. Nareti vakaya vene yava saba, omukaya wa kutanga oyo yakola kiselelo. Na vandi yava shi vakora keselelo dave. Ne keselelo chavo chali cha tsingano. Vavugura tsingano vaveka mundu mukari ku mmbiri. Ezimbiri tsive tsa ichova tsyenyene. Si vakava dave, vakava inyuma iyi lakini imberi iyi dave. Mundu musatsa yari na kesero. Mwagani naye avike kisero yecho inyuma iyi na mukari naye ave na mayeveye gege. Akunike inyuma iyi. Natula imberi iyi akunike imberi iyi. Mavukane nakiruganya inyuma iyi. Ku vandu valogoori iculture yavo yari indahi. Kandi vega mima mirahi. Vakamara varinda tsifamili tsyavo tsyosi vavareka ku vana vavo vagoyane dave. Gava masomo vahetsa vana vavo. Vasoma vurahi, vamala vurahi masomo gavo. Vatsya kwenya tsigasi ichova vahinzire. Vala vari mu vwami vwa vasikari, ma vatsirira vulahi. Ku rigari mundu mulogooli yari yayanza vukristayo.

Vanyingi vari mu vukristayo kuvita avandu va kivara. Vasakulu va kare vali vayanza malwaa ga luseke. Vangwetsa malwaa ga luseke kuta mu nyingu ma vanywaa avikale mu kiduma chavo kuvorera ku amang'ana gavo kuri ku chotero. Vasakulu vemonyera galaha, vavola kukore ndi. Vahuritsana kabisa ma vatsitsa vulahi. Vujira kurembana dave na kutindirana dave. Vamenya vulahi. Avana va mundu mugitsi vamenya na mirembe vakubana ku dave. Mpaka vatwegiza mang'ana gavo vulahi, kuri avivuri vavegiza kutula mu vwana vwavo. Vandu vene yava valonda mima mirahi. Na kumanya yava ni vivuri vange. Va karunu vateta lakini va kare vahuliza vivuri vavo. Na vakora vulahi, ku inze nasandiza chigira mima jene jira jamanya jikuronda kari kuze kwatura inyuma wavo, kwamanya kukopa mima jene yejo kumanya vivuri, vakora ndi na kuze kukore ndyo.

Kwari na vugasu vwene vura kuronda mang'ana ga mundu, mulogooli na chukulya cha mulogooli vandu vataga, mbeere vataga ovuro. Ne engumba, vikurya vyene yevo vyari na tsinguvu sana. Vya mulogooli yatumikira miogo na mabwoni. Vikurya vyene yevo vyahonya mulogooli inzara. Lakini ku lwa kalunu vwagwa vudinyu, vikurya vyene yevo vyatsya. Mwene yeteteanga anyole vyevye vya kukonyekera. Naveye na ing'ombe yeye agilinda vulahi, kuduka mwisho. Ing'ombe yeye alagilinda vulahi, anyole mmbele aguritse ku tsisendi. Yekonyekera na tsindi nagulila avana veve, ifisi navatungira. Ma unyola atsitsa vulahi. Vadaka vwari ku mu vulogooli dave, kari yarira ku inzara dave. Mundu mulogooli yari wa kwitegemea. Kuze kwasanditsa kigila vagujagizila vulahi. Mima jene jila kwamanya kutsila nu kukola sya vakolanga.

Ma kulola kuziza vulahi, ma kulonda vukristayo, ne vwa vari vayanza. Vavola vahambika yava kali vamanyi wa vaziza mba, vavula mima da, vahana heshima dave. Na heshima yali ho. Mulogooli yakeva mwana wewe muyayi yagona naye mumba dave. Yahira mudisi wa mukele muhindila kabisa. Vana vene vala vatsi vamenye mumba mwene mula vavirukire mu. Na vakana vene navo, vave mumba mwene mu luvega lwavo. Chigila vakana vakevwa dave, vakevwa ni vana vayayi. Ku kwasandiza mima jene yejo. Jari mirahi. Kandi kureta mpaka mulogooli uteve mukana wa ndera uyu ni wa ihiri ki. Mukana uyu atula mu ihiri ki. Shu unyala kureta oluvamba lwo kuva mukaya dave, kwavugula wa kulanganga omusima. Mu luvamba lundi lutaveye olwenyu dave. Chigira nu uleta mu luvamba lwolwo avana yava valoneka. Valavimba tsa virenge vakutsa nu ugenya chigila vakutsa ni ki.

Mbotso wowo si yali wa mundu akinira ku dave. Kandi iwe mwene shu unyala kuva na mbotso wowo dave. Vurina kwahamba ihare kandi ku viko va hango dave. Ihiri yene irya kwali na vatembe, valogovo na vagondi. Ihiri yene iyi varetana ku dave. Vari vaheshimiana kabisa. Kwahana heshima zaidi. Na mukari yari na miaga shirini na tano, kutsya iguru, hapana kuri va nundina vave na miaka kumi na sita, kumi na saba, kumi na nane. Mwivuri yanyola mukana utsire lukali lwene lla kari mwivuri uvugule mwana ula jigira ali musukulu, alatsya kwilanya na valasidakwa. Kandi mwana mukana si yivula ku mwana munzu dave. Mpaka atsi lukari lwelwe, jene yejo jali mima mirahi ku mundu mulogooli. Mulogooli yali mundu mugeli sya mbola ndionio. Avegizi vanyingi vanyoleka mu vulogori jigira masomo. Kaimosi ni iveye yaha yakonya vandu valogooli kabisa. Kwa sandiza rigali kuli avamisheni viza munu, vakuretera ku icollege yaha. Vana vetu vasoma mu vanyola zidiguri tsyavo. Nu kuyanza kabisa ku vari valahi.

Kwasandiza ku mang'ana garya ni kuvola sande. Tsinyumba vumbaka tsinyumba tsya vunyasi. Mulogooli yali kun a inyumba ya ligina dave. Vari na tsinyumba tsya vunyasi. Tsya madohi na vamenya tsa vulahi. Wa kilege yeye ni ihambi mulo ne wanyola itabu. Lakini tsinyumba tsyali tsya vunyasi. Mabati gakitsa mugolova lwa musungu yakitsa na mabati. Vanyingi vavola vimbaka inzu ya rivati valakutsa. Kali musakulu muhindira ni wavola umumbakire inzu ya rivati, si yavugila dave. Iwe yumbaka yoyo ya rivati reka inze menye munu. Ku nukugenya vasakulu yava muve ndi. Munye si mwenya, vakiruganya rimenya ku vasura kunye rimenya lyetu live mu mba yu vunyasi. Kwasandiza vasakulu vetu vakumanya vurahi. Kandi vakumanya mima ja kumenya vurahi. Karunu vatula ho na kunye kuveho.

Kwamenya sya vakureka jigira vakurekela mawaiza, nu kumanya kuramenya tsa vulahi. Kwasanditsa mu rimenya ryetu mu kivara kinu, na vwami vwa kuve mu jigira vwami, kunye kuvora nyasaye akurinde akuhe vulamu. Vandu valogooli kuzilile sya kwivurwa. Nyasaye kandi yakuyanza. Vandu valogooli ni vandu vayanza vukristayo. Vasakulu vangwetsa malwaa hamugolova ma vagona. Navuka mugamba umanya ku anywele dave. Na vakalunu vanywetsa mu vulavu. Mundu mulogooli yayanza ifamili yeye na kumenya navo vulahi. Vandu vakutsa kale avanyingi dave. Tsinyanga tsinu tsive tsindinyu vandu vakutsa kuri tsingoko. Vulwale vwayitsa mu vandu kwavula kumanya vutula hai dave. Vandu vavugula mihiga mitambi ku mundu akutsa. Kalunu mundu akutsa na mihiga sabini. Kuve na rivelela mu kivala kinu. Nyasaye akuvelele tsimbavasi akwiranye. Vandu vavugule mihiga ja vari vaherwa mu ritanga. Jigira vikolwa, vikolwa vive vidamanu su ulahindila dave, vikolwa vive vilahi, ulahindira. Nindyo kulola mundu mulogooli yavugula mihiga mitambi kutula ho. Kali na nundina kukili ho na vandi vave hengo wa kwatula irya vave na mihiga ja vakwesa ku vatula ho vasakulu. Lakini luvega yulu vasakulu vageha. Kuvola Nyasaye mwene akurinde. Khu gosi nyasaye amugasitse.

Maragoli lifestyle

The lifestyle of a maragooli. This is a person who was born clever. He was not a person who looks behind. He did his things systematically in agreement. They married as husband and wife, men used to marry more women even up to seven. And they gave birth to many children upto 27 children. And they used to take care of these children. They did not give anyone to take care of them. Because if one was a leader then he was to stay a leadership life. By having more wives and children.

He was a person with rich ideas. When he married the seven wives, the first wife did a wedding. And the rest did not do wedding. And the wedding was traditional, they applied things on the bride's body. They covered the back. A man had a piece of cow skin, when you meet he covered the front part and the wife covered the back. If someone comes from the front side, she could change and cover the front part of the body. They had a good culture. And they learned good skills, they used to take good care of their family and they did not let their children to loose morals. If it is education they gave it to their children. They received education well. And they went out to look for education. Some were policemen and they moved on well. This person liked Christianity.

Most of them were Christians than the secular people. Old men liked brewed beer. They kept it in a pot then they sat as a group in circle shape, and said their words. They shared their ideas and consulted one another on what to do. They agreed and moved on well. They did no quarrel, they stayed well. The children in the village lived peacefully without fighting. They accomplished their things well. The way parents fulfilled it in their children. They followed good behaviours. Children knew their parents. Nowdays children complain but long ago children used to listen from their parents. And they did well am so grateful because of those morals. They followed us who came from behind. We copied those behavior and knew that our parents are doing this, we should do that.

We had the blessing of following instructions. The food was wheat and millet. They were healthy meals, he also planted cassava and sweet potatoes. These food saved him from hunger. These days it is a problem because those meals are no longer there. He was depending on his own work. If he had a cow he used to take good care of it. Until the end, he would milk it and sell the milk to get money. He used the money to pay his children school fees. He found that he was moving on well. There was no poverty in maragooli land, he did not complain about hunger. He was independent. We are so grateful because they taught us well. We are still continuing with the same morals. The way they were doing.

We see we are moving on well with the Christianity which he liked. The ones who are taking alcohol do not know where they are heading. They do not have have morals, they lack respect. There was respect, the maragooli used to circumcise their boys and they were not allowed to sleep under the same roof. He could take the initiate to the old woman's grass thatched house. Those boys could grow up from that house. And the girls were still under the same roof but on the other side. Because they were not circumcised. Those morals were good. And also before getting married a Maragooli could ask where is the girl coming from, which clan does she belong to. You were not allowed to marry from the same clan. Because if you marry from the same clan, your children will be spoiled. They would have wounded feets and die, then you wonder what was wrong.

You could not play with your sister. And you cannot have sex with your sister. We made friendship far away from home and away from relative. People from the same clan were not allowed to marry. They respected one another. And the bride had 25 years and above, it was not like these days where 16, 17, 18 years old are getting married. If the parent found the girl married and yet she is still in school, he could take her back home and report the case. Girls could not give birth while at home, they could wait until marriage. He was a clever person. Most of the teachers are found in maragooli because of education. Kaimosi assisted the maragooli people we are so grateful for the coming of the missionary. They have brought us a college. Our children are receiving education and graduating with degrees. We are so happy they were good.

We are so grateful for thatthey used to make grass thatched houses. A maragooli did not have an iron roofed house. And they were staying well. The stubborn one whose house broke on fire, he could suffer. The houses were made of grass and mud. Iron sheets came in yesterday when the whiteman arrived. Most of them believed that if they build an iron roofed house they will die. An old man could not allow you to build for him an iron roofed house. You make your iron roofed house and let me stay in here, and we wondered what was wrong with the old men. They refused and said that their life is in the grass thatched house. We are so grateful because of the old men. They taught us well. Today they are not there we are there.

We are living the way they left us because they gave us advice. And we knew that we will live well. We are happy because of our life in this world. And the leadership that we are having. We are praying God to give us life we continue living the way we were born. We like Christianity since God loves us. Old men used to drink in the evening and when they wake up you will not know they got drunk.

Nowdays they drink in open. He liked his family and stayed with it well. Many people were not dying. Nowdays it is tough people are dying like hens. There is a lot of sickness which we are not aware where it is coming. People used to stay for long before death but in the present days people are dying at 70 years. We are mourning in this world, may God have mercy on us. Because of bad actions you cannot grow. And that is why he used to live for long. We still have those who are old but this side old men are few. We are saying may God take care of us. With all that may God bless you.