Play time: 09:21 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, March 16, 2014.

Kutaga Vikurya

Benjamin Egadwa

Mimi ni Benjamin Egadwa Okodi nzenya muvolele kuli vandu valogoli vataganga viukulia vyavo nohomba vitagwa vya vataganga mu milimi jiavo. Vaveza vakalima milimi jiavo. Viukulia viene yivi ni kuli maduma kulanganga malogoli, amagomia kutaganga magomia ga kienyeji yaga, makutsa ku maduma ga kisungu yani hybrid, makutsa ku viukulia kuli mabwoni, kutaga mabwoni, kutsa kutaga miogo, kutaga miogo mu milimi jyitu ili jikokonye munzala, kutaga mavere, kutaga ni ingumba, kutaga tsingutsa kuli amakuvi, mitoo, kutaga maganda, kutaga vole, kutaga mavere, kutaga ni ingumba nikusanya viukulia vyene vila. Avandu valogoli vayanza kutaga viukulia kuli ndi: Imbula nimali kutsa vatse vetegeka kulima milimi jiavo ma vitegeka kutaga viukulia vilondaku yivi. Vamanya valima milimi jiavo jiitegeka kijila vulimi vwa kale nu vulahi unyole vandu vamala kwetegeka kutaga viukulia vyene vila. Na kuli kutaganga maduma ga hybrid 614 kutaganga maduma yaga nende imbolea phosphate. Yene iyi kutagila ga mulimi ligali imbolea ya hango iyi dave kutagila ya serikali ili game vulahi. Maduma yaga lwa kutaganga, kutaganga maduma kutula kuliduma kutsia ku lindi ni tsifuti tsivili na ku laini kutsia ku yindi tsifuti tsivili lakini kutula ku liduma kutsia ku lindi ni tsiinchi tisa na imbolea kutelamu kijiko mulimi makusolizanga na kwati tsilaini kusoliza mu tsilaini tsiene yitsi maduma lilala lilala kutsia mbaka ku mwisho. Na lwa kutaganga mutsilaini kutaga nikovoshi mugoye ku kisala luvega lundi nu lundi ma kunyira kulondanga mugoye gwene gula kutaga maduma gene gala. Kandi lwa kusolitsanga mu amaduma imbolea kuvetsa kutangi hasi maduma garonda ku. Liduma kutonyianga tsiinji tisa kutula kulindi kutsia kulindi nikutsia nalio mbaka misu. Kandi ilaini ya maganda ilonda ku na maganda kutonyiamu gavili gavaga nohomba ganne. Na ilaini ya maganda kandi tafauti. Nikukoli ndio kandi kutaga ni imbolea valala vasolitsilamu kijiko na undi asolitsilamu mukono lakini ya kijiko iye ivugilangwa kutagila maduma gene gala halala na maganda nokoli ndio ulanyola vyami vilahi kutula mulimi gugwo. Nanuutsa luvega lwa kutaga voro; voro vataganga imbula nikili kukuba inyole ovoro hasi kandi vatagila mutsilaini. Utage mu sehemu yavyo yeng'ine voro kutaga halala nende maduma dave. Uvutage vweng'ine. Kandi nutaga ingumba noomba mavere utage tofauti uvuli kutagila halala nende maduma dave. Vuli chukulia kivetsange luvega lwacho. Nuutsa nutaga kindu kuli tsinguza, tsinguza tsia kutanganga ni kuli makuvi yaga, makutsia kutaga mitoo, kutsa kutaga mutere kandi ulombe tsilaini nusolitsamu vugutsa vwene vula ili lwutamu imbolea vugutsa vula vutsia kukomela vulaviluka munzila indahi kali mwene ulayanza. Na niva nutaga makabichi kandi ulakola tsa nzila ndala nzele makabichi guvaa nutaji nuganyoli kuli visevu mutage kandi ulataga mutsilaini kandi galakola vulahi nutagili imbolea. Ku iviukulia yivi vikulombanga kunye avandu valogoli kuvetsa nu vuyanzi kijira viukulia yivi vikola vulahi mumilimi jyitu. Makusandiza ligali imbula nikubi kuvetsa kuvee vulahi kijira kumanya kunyole viukulia sa kwenyanga. Ma galolekandinangwa kutagi hybrid iyi ilakola vulahi kutatamu imbolea kulasolitsa, kulasembela kandi kusolitsi ma sasa gene gesese gatsia igulu ili game maduma malahi ga kunyala kunyola viukulia vidukani sa kwenyanga kwigala inzala. Ivisala kuli vi miogo, visala vya miogo kutulitsaa ku kisala chene. Mwogo gwi kisala niwgo gutulanga kandi mwogo gundi. Gwene yigu kuyava vutsa hasi lilina ma kuvika kisala chene kila hasii mulaini ma kuta ku malova lwa imbula ikubanga makiza igulu ma jileta vyami igulu iyi kandi kunyola miogo jiakaviluka kutumikili kunzala ya kuvenayo. Na mabwoni ga kienyeji gakulanga malogoli; mabwoni yaga kutaga vutsaa visevu viene kutula ku muri guveye ku masambu gene ma kutaga mmalova ga kuveza kuvungitsi halala. Kuvunyikamu imbegu yayo ila no kutemu imbolea kidogo ili gakwaminyile amabwoni manene ganyala kukonya lwa inzala iveza yakatuula makunyola vandu vitu vaveye nende vulamu kijira viukulia vaveye navyo vinyingi sukugeherwanga mbiukulia dave nohomba kunyole vukonyi kutula muserikali dave. Ingawa kuveye nitsploti zingeekeke tsia kulima mu lakini kujitahidanga kunyola kukolli ibidii kukoli ndionangwa kunyoli sa kwikonya mu lilima lietu. Ku viukulia vyetu ligali nyasaye yakuyanza kijira akuheza imbula iduchi mbiukulia vyetu ma kandi kutaku imbolea iduchi ilii vyame vilete viukulia mbwingi makuyanza ku genago ndio mundu mulogoli mwene yeteteya sayanzila kokonywa dave. Umwene yetetea mmulimi gwigwe agulomba vulahi ili vyamo vituli mu viduka nivimukonya nende ifamilia yeye. Kwa hivyo kuyanzanga kuvola sande kuli kukolanga igasi yeniyi sa kwamanywa mu lilima kutsitsanga vulahi. Na luvega lwa magomia lwa kutaga magomia, magonya kutaganga mu lilina tsifuti tsivaga kutaho round tsifuti tsivaga hasi na igulu. Kutaganga ligonyia kutemu imbolea ya kienyeji kuli isingu ma kuchanganya nende malova gitu gi ichova yaga musimika mu ligomia hagati ligonyia lila lilaviluka munzila indahi sana niliamaku kali nugingaku unyala kunyala da unyala kuvola niliguredi kumbe niligomia lia kienyeji liasimikwa vulahi lianyola malova magasu liagwa mmalova magasu ma liama vulahi ili ulinyole ligonyia lilitu ligali liuyanza nulola kali uliyanza ku ligondo liene. Luvega lwa magonya gama munzila indahi kandi mbwingi. Gakava manyinge hango ulavugulaku ugulitsi tsisendi utumikili kuzishida tsitsio. Magomia kandi gakwamula kunzala kutumikila kulia na kudekelaku avana vitu vatula mutsisikulu vatumilkila mulanchi hour makunyola kutsitsa vulahi nago. Kwa hivyo kusandizanga kijira gakukonyanga vulahi mutsishida tsia kuvetsa kuvenangazio. Ndakavoye ndi amang'ana kijira kutaga ovoro: ovoro vuvirukanga vwakaneneha gadukana uvutulitse vwangu kijira manyonyi gayanza voro yivyo sana nutatulitsa vwangu galakunyaga. Manyonyi gatumikila mbwingi na vwakaviluka nende mavere ugese vwangu ugaviki msitoo hunyala kugalindila hanumanye wakongoa wagavika wa gadukana gavee. Viukulia viene vila vya mwafrika viyanzizanga ligali maisha gitu vandu valogoli ma kumenyanga vulahi nukutagi ku viukulia vyene yivi kulanga sikuvetsa ninzala inyingi dave. Na viukulia vyene yivi nutaga yivi weng'ine havundu nutahenzi amanyonyi galakunyaga manunyole sugesa dave ulatamwa sugesa lakini mutagi mbwingi mutsitsanga vulahi ma mtulaku vulahi munyola sa mwenyanga viukulia vienivi vyokokonyekela ku future yinyu. Suviranga amakeekeke ga nyenyi kumanyia kuluvega lwa viukulia. Viukulia vitsitsa ndio ma kokola ndio ma kutwekiza ni milembe.

Planting food

My name is Benjamin Egadwa and I want to talk about how the maragooli people used to plant their food on their farm. They had dug their farm. These are maize that we called maragooli maize. We plant the local sweet potatoes. Then we come to modern maize that we call hybrid, then we move on to food like potatoes. Then we come and plant cassava on our farm so that they will assist us during the hunger. We plant millet, we plant vegetables, we plant beans, we plant wheat. We plant those type of feeds. The maragooli people liked to plant food like this: after it has rained they used to prepare their farms and plant the following feeds.

They used to dig the farm in preparation for the planting, and we plant the hybrid 614 type of maize using fertilizer called phosphate. We do not use the home made fertilizer in most cases, we use the governmental fertilizer so that the maize grows well. We plant the maize 2 feets from one another and nine inch from each, and we apply the fertilizer using a spoon as we make lines and put in the maize until the end.

And as we plant we plant, we plant while we have a measuring string tied from one side to the other. And we follow this line as we plant the maize. And as we plant the maize, we normaly apply the fertilizer down first then we put in the maize. And we plant the maize nine feets from the other until the end. The following line we put in beans, they can be two, three or four beans and it is separate from the other lines. As we do that we also apply the fertilizer on, some put apply a spoonful of it while others apply a pinch using the hand. But the spoonful is accepted when you are planting maize and beans. If you do that you will find that they have germinated well on your farm. When you turn to the side of planting wheat, they plant it before it rain, when the rain comes, it shoud find it on the ground. They plant it in lines. You plant it on a separate place, we do not plant wheat together with maize. You plant it seperately. Each food should be planted seperately, when you come to the type of vegetables that we plant, they are like cowpeas, then "mitoo, mutere" you make lines then you drop in the seeds. They will grow in a perfect way until you like it. When you plant the cabbage you will use the same method, when you get it's stem and plant using fertilizer it will also grow in a good way.

These feed makes us we maragoli people to be happy because they grow well on our farm. And we appreciate when it rains, because when it rains we get enough food the way we want. It appears that when we plant hybrid, it does well as we apply the fertilizer, then we do the weeding. We then wait for it to grow so that we can have a good harvest, the way we want in order to prevent hunger. Cassava sticks are planted, and then they produce cassava also.

We dig a hole down, then we put the stick down in a line, then we cover it with soil and when it rain, it starts to sprout, then we harvest the cassava that we use in times of hunger that we have. And the traditional potatoes that we plant we plant from its remainings of the roots that are on the leaves, then we plant inside the soil that we have put together. We put in the seed once we have put in the fertilizer, so that they produce huge sweet potatoes, that can assist us during the hunger time. We find our people healthy because of the feed that they have in surplus, we do not have food shortage or donation of food from the government.

Even though we have large plot of farm, we struggle inorder to get something that we can use to plant on our farms. With our food, God loves us because he gives us rain, then we apply on the enough fertilizer so that they grow in surplus, and we become happy, because a maragoli person does not like to be assisted always. He assists himself, on the farm and he prepares it well, so that he gets enough harvest that can assist him and his family. We are happy when we resume this work the way we were shown, we are still doing it. And on the other side of planting banana, we plant banana in lines, and we plant it three feets from one another both down the ground and also on the ground surface from each. We plant the banana, then we put in the home made manure like cow dung that you mix with the soil then you place the banana plantation in the middle. It will grow in a good way, and when it grows you can't believe, you may think it is an artificial banana and yet it is a natural traditional banana. That was well placed and it has had good soil, and it has grown well so that you get a mature banana that looks well.

The bananas grow well in a surplus way, when they have grown well, you will be able to sell them and use the money to solve your problems. We use the banana at home, we cook for our children during the lunch hour when they come home from school. And we find ourselves moving on well at home. We are grateful because they assist us on the problems that we have. I also want to add something on the wheat, after it has matured, one should harvest it quickly because, birds like to eat the wheat and if you do not harvest it quickly they will eat it.

The birds consume it a lot, when it is ready, you should harvest it quickly and put it in a store where you know you can be able to monitor and you will be safe. Since you have kept it where it is supposed to be. These african feed are pleasing to maragoli and we stay well. When we plant these meals we do not have hunger. And if you plant them somewhere without looking after them the birds will snatch you and you won't have anything to harvest. But if you plant well, you get enough harvest that you want. These feed are for supporting you in the future. I believe that is the little that I wanted to show about the feed. The feeds are like that and we do that and we accomplish it in peace.