Play time: 05:48 minutes. Recorded in Mudete, Kenya, March 4, 2014.

Mundu Wa Kureta Mukari

Stanley Mugalo

Lugano yulu llondekana na liva lya mundu. Kumanya niva mundu yari naduchi, wa kureta mukari, mwana muyayi uduki kureta mukari anoho mwana mukana, uduki wa kutsya lukari. Noho kuvahira, vuri lwosi gwarangi na vandu va kwigalila na kwegitsa. Vana vakana vegitsangwa na mama wavo. Anoho na guku. Na vana vayayi vegitsagwa na guga wavo, mang'ana ga rimenya anoho na vakotsa vavo. Mwana muyayi kumanya uduki unyala kureta mukali, chindu cho kutanga yabimwanga na erikola igasi. Vali vanyala kummbola kwenyanga usti kutimula, umulimi yugu kutula yaha mpaka yaha. Nu umari alafu kulole kuri kunyala kubanga vandi vatsi kurima.

Ni yatimulanga murimi yogo na amali, vamanyanga aduki mundu musatsa unyala kulinda inyumba yeye. Na kindu kironda ku iva anyala kurima, riva rindi ni vamuhetsanga igaasi, noho rijera lyo kumbaa inyumba. Wumbake inyumba ne kivune kari linyonyi ryenya kulomba, kutera mbuyu mpaka itange kulomba inyumba. Linyonyi litumikira munwa kumbaka. Na iwe uve na makono, uve na tsimoni, ku niva rinyonyi rinyala kumbaka na ive uve na makono, umanye kandi niva uduki mumba yoyo, wumbake inyumba. Utsi kutema misala mu kivanda, ukare luse, ufore makambi ku nangwa, ukore ndi wumbake inyumba yoyo. Na kumbaka inyumba, kumolomera ku mundu musatsa kuduka kuva na inyumba yeye. Mwana muyayi niva anyala kutsya kutema misala, akale lusee chigira lusee vaguritsa dave. Lwari u vurimo. Akore makambi ga kutumikira kumbaka inyumba yeye. Yakamala kumbaka inyumba vamanya aduki, ave mundu unyala kurinda mukali.

Na riva lyo kureta omukari chindu cho kutanga, niva wakunyola mukana wa uganagana unyala kureta, vwarangi vulahi umolome na vivuri vovo. Vivuri vovo vahenzeritse valole ni inyumba yo luganu ki yo uretamu. Kivune kuve na tsinyumba tsya ruganu na ruganu. Kandi kuve na tsinyumba tsindala tsya vandu valoji. Nu ureta mu nyumba ive ya vandu valoji, utamenye rimenya ritaveye llahi dave, unyala kunyola nu ukutsa madiku gogo gakamali kuduka. Na kandi vwari vulahi, kuteva chigira, unyala kureta omwiko, aviko varetana dave, kari na karunu aviko varetana dave. Nu muretana aviko kuveye na vindu vivitira, mu masayi vinyala kulomba, muvule kumenya maisha marahi dave.

Kwari na liva wakavola vandu vatula, henyu muyayi vatsi wanga mukana, vatsi kuteva na ni vakateva, gene yaga gari uri mubangangi kiselelo. Kiselelo cha kare chari kiselelo cha zingulu. Kiselelo chabangwa vulahi kabisa, cha kutanga, muyayi vakavugilila vakanyola muyayi ave mwiko dave, mukana oyo atula mu inyumba indahi, ise mukana yatsanga wa mukana na atsi, mavikara na vasakulu vandi, vavolana vukwi, vukwi ni chihanwa cha muyayi ahana ku ruvega lwa mukana. Kulondekana kuri yalindwa na mama wewe. Kuri yamuvirukitsa. Na kare vukwi vwarange mu liva lya tsing'ombe sanasana tsyarangi tsing'ombe. Na ni vari vandu varangi no vurimi, kandi vamedaku vikurya. Kuli ammbeele na ovulo. Niva mukana yakukwerwa gamanya anyala kutsya ku undi mundu dave.

Vabanganga lidiku lyo mukana na ajenditswange na vandi, varina veve ni vatsya vaduke. Wa atsitsa. Yene iyi yarangi inzira inungi ya mundu kuletera mu omukari.

A person who is ready to marry

This story is about the lifestyle of someone. To show if he was mature enough to marry a wife, a boy who is ready to marry or a girl who is ready to get married. There were people who could gather them and teach them. The girls were taught by their mothers, or their grandmother. And the boys were taught by their grandfather or uncles. The way a boy worked determined whether he was ready to marry. Others could ask the boy to dig a certain large portion of land, after he has finished then they figure how others can come to finish digging.

If he finished digging the land, they knew that he was a responsible man enough to take care of his house. The other thing he was tasted on was how to build a house. The reason is that even a bird before laying eggs it has to build a house for laying eggs. The bird uses beak to build but a man has hands and eyes. If a bird can build a house and you have hands you should then build your house. He could go to cut trees from the forest. And make ropes, and build his house. A boy could go and cut tree and some plants for making ropes since they were not sold. He could make ropes for building his house. When the boy finished building the house they knew that he was able to take care of his wife.

In the process of marrying, whenever you found a girl to marry it was good for one to consult his parents about it. The parents could then find out which house you were marrying from. The reason is that we have different houses; we also have some houses that have witches. If you marry from a house of witches you may end up not having a good life. You may die before the right time. It was also good to do so since you can marry a relative, something that was not allowed even today relatives do not intermarry. If you marry a relative there are things that move through blood hence making one not to live well?

There was a way that people from the boy side could visit the girl's side. And consult on making plans about the wedding. The wedding was arranged well. After they had confirmed that the boy was not a relative, and the girl is from a good family, the father to the girl could visit the boy's home and he could join old men and make plans about the dowry. Dowry is the present that the boy gives t the parents of the girl for taking care of her. The way the mother took care of her as she grew up. And long time ago the dowry was inform of cows. And if they had planted food they also added it on top. Like the wheat and millet. If dowry has been paid, a girl cannot get married to another person. They arranged for a day, when a girl could move around by others. As the friends move to where she was heading, this was the right way for someone to marry a wife.