Play time: 04:56 minutes. Recorded in Mudete, Kenya, March 4, 2014.

Engoko, Luvuyu Na Mukeere

Grace Otieno

Kale muno yali ho mukeere wali na amamera gege. Inyinga indala yenya atsie mukidaho. Yavoolera engoko imulindire amamera, na jeganihitsa kindu kivule kuvotsa ku dave. Lwayali natsie mu kidaho engoko yamanya ne votsa ku mamera kigira yali ne inzaala.

Lwo mukeere yatula mu kidaho yanyoola engoko ne votsi ku amamera. Mukere yateva ovotsi amamera gange ibwaha? Engoko yavolera mukeere ninze ovotsi amamera mukeere yagevolera lwa uvotsi amamera gange nombe ki? Engoko yavola ilahana livuyu. Engoko yahaana livuyu, mukeere natsia ne livuyu nanyoola avayi na vateva nimuha livuyu linage yili munyala kutsutsuna mwamala? Avayi veyama vanyala kumala. Yavaha nivatsunatsuna liosi nivamala. Lwamwakatsunatsuna liviuyu linage ndi namumbe ki? Avayi vamuha tsisaala, natula natsia.

Nagenda ne tsisaala yitsio nanyoola Avahuli. Navateva nimuha tsisaala yitsi mwakahuula mwamala? Vavugula tsisaala nivahuulira ovolo.

Mwakahuulira tsisaala tsiange na mumbeki? Vamuha ovolo. Natula ho navwo natsia. Lwa yali nangendanga yanyola amakanga na gavolera nimuha ovolo vwange yivu munyala kuvotsa mwamala. Yagaha ovolo nigavotsa vwosi nigamala. Yagateva lwamwakavotsa ndi ovolo vwange na mumbe ki? Makanga gamuha amavaha, natula natsia.

Mukere yavugana na Avitungi na avateva niiva muha amavaha yaga mwaketunga mwamala. Navo vagiba valamala. Yavaha ni vitunga nivamala. Yavavorera mwitungangi amavaha gange namumbe ki? Vavugula imburi nivamuha natsya.

Lwayali na aveye kunzira yavugana na avayanguluga. Navateva nimuha imbuli yange yiyi munyala kwita mwalia mwamala? Navo 'yee' yamanya navaha imbuli ni vita nivalia nivamala. Yavavoolera muliyange imburi yange na mumbe ki? Navo vamboola sikuveye ne kindu chakukuha dave.

Mukeere yahulira ndiyo yamanya natanga lwimbu yilu:

Ni mbuli siyakali yange yali ya Avitungi vamba, na Avitungi sivakamba vutswa ndavaha amavaha gange,na mavaha sigakali gange gali ga makanga gamba, na makanga sigakali vutswa nagaha ovoolo vwange, no ovoolo sivwakali vwange vwali vwa Avahuli vamba, Na avahuuli sivakamba vutswa ndavaha tsisala tsiange ne tsisaala sitsiakali tsiange tsiali tsia Avayi vamba na avayai sivakamba vutswa ndavha livuyu liange ne livuyu siliakali liage liali lie engoko yamba ne engoko siyakamba vutswa, yavotsa amamera gange na mamera sigakali gange gali ga linda kandi gali ga linda

The woman and the egg draft

Long time ago there was a woman who had her millet. One day she wanted to go to the river. She asked the hen to look after her millet. She asked the hen not to allow anything to eat the millet. When she had gone to the river, the hen ate the millet since it was hungry.

When the woman came from the river she found the hen eating the millet. The woman asked the hen who ate her millet. The hen said that it ate the millet. Now the woman asked it what she could prepare and the hen said that it would provide an egg. The hen gave an egg. The woman and found people looking after cows and asked them if she gave them the egg will they eat and finish. They agreed and said they can finish. She gave them and they ate it all. She asked them since they have ate her egg what were they going to give her. They gave her sticks and she left.

She went with those sticks and found people heating things and asked them if she gave them the sticks will they finish heating them. They took the sticks and heated them.

You have heated my sticks what will you give me? They gave her "ovolo" she took it and left. When she was walking she found the "amakanga" and asked them that if she gave them the "ovolo" can they finish eating it. She gave them and they ate it all. She asked them since they have finished it what will they give her? The "amakanga" gave her wings. She left.

She met the "avitungi" and asked them that if she gave them her wings, will they knit and finish and they answered that they can finish, she asked them since they have finished her wings what will they give her? They gave her a goat and she left.

When she was walking on the road she found the "avayangulula" and asked them if she gave them her goat will they slaughter and finish it. They agreed and she gave them the goat, they ate and finished. She asked them since they have eaten her goat what will they give her? They told her that they do not have anything to give her.

When the woman heard that, she began this singing song:

The goat was not mine, it belonged to the avitungi, the avatungi did not give it to me for free but I gave them my wings. The wings were not mine they belonged to the makanga gamba. And I gave them ovolo and the ovolo was not mine it belonged to the avahuli and they did not give it for free I gave them my sticks which the people looking after cows gave me whom I gave my egg which belonged to the hen and the hen did not give it to me for free it ate my millet and the millet was not mine it belonged to another one.