Play time: 03:11 minutes. Recorded in Mago, Kenya, March 14, 2014.

Tsinyungu Tsyakasambwa

Difena Aseyo

Tsinyingu yitsio si ololi ni mbola kwalonganga kwakalonga tsinyingu tsiene yitsio; kwatetsa ku lujo na lwene lula tsinyingu tsiadika tsa tsialange tsisika; miyingu minene ma vakaraga ku tsa kujo guraundi ndi gufwana kuli libesheni. sasa nagwo gwa kwalongela ku, kutengeka ku kutangila lusitiru lulwo kwene yikwo wakasita lutambi nulutsia. Sasa wakalomba wenya utange kulinganga nulinga nokolela ndi kulidoshi linde ligimilana. Kwavugulanga inyingu yene yo; kuvugula madafali anoho magina kutigiki; yiyi na gandi iyi ndi. Ma kuvugula tsinguyi tsindambi mwenya mudire ku magina gene yago ma kutigika ni tsinguyi tsinditu. Ku sasa mwenya mutse kuvugula tsinyingu tsiene yitsio mutsia mubanga ku misala jiene yijio tsinyinge kabisa. Munyala kutigika lihiga lituli yila paga yila; ma mubanganga ku tsinyingu tsiene yitsio tsiluha tsifwla ku tsa tsiosi. Sasa nalwo lwa mwenya mutsie kuvugula tsinguyi tsinde; mwatenya kuli mutenyela tsa madafali kandi mmbugula mubanga ku tsinyingu tsiene yitsio igulu ku mulilu gwene guduki igulu. Tsinyingu tsiakashia tsa pa tsiaka tsa mulilu kandi tsi igulu tsila tsienya tsigimili ulilu tsa tsishie tsa tsiyele kandi ma muvugula musala mutambi mutsa kwihula nu muvika kunduru na tsihiyi. Vu musenzeli vaveye ho. Musenzeli nigwo gwu manyila inyingo niyalomba madafari. Musenzeli yigwo nayo iranji musama. Ku nokong'onda uhuli nekola: nga nga nga nga, umanye yahia vulahi. Na wanyola imwami yi mulilu gugimiyi dave na nugarukitsa ku ishia mba; yakukuva.

Pots that have been burned

Those pots, you heard what I said, we used to mold them then we put them on chamber. At that time the pots that used to break were the huge pots, they use to cut them and they look like a basin and that is the pot that we used to mold the pots from. That is where you want to roll the clay on top. We used to take that pot and put it on top of stones. Then you take big pots you now want to balance and you put the firewood. Now you take the pots and put them on top of the trees. You can arrange them on a long chamber that covers a long distance from here to there. Then you arrange the pots until they fit there.

Now you want to go and take more firewood. You used to gather the firewood the way you gather bricks. You again take them and place them on top of the pots so that the fire can reach at the top. When the pots have heated they get burned. Then you take a long stick and you remove the pots from the fire as you put them aside while they are very hot. And the people with "musenzeli" are ready. That is the color that you used to apply on the pot. When you hit, it produces this sound "nga nga nga nga" and you now know that it has burned well. And if it is black in color you now know that it has not burned and if you take it back it won't heat. It has spoiled.