Play time: 16:31 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, March 27, 2014.

Mukeere Inzogu Na Kisungula

Hellen Makungu

Mbe na lugano lwa mukeere tsinzogu tsinne na kisungula. Kwali na mukeere na mukeere oyo yai na mulimi munene na mukeere oyo yalima mulimi gwegwe yali yayanza kutaga maungu. Yali liduku lilala natsya nalima mulimi gwegwe nataga maungu. Lwa yataga maungu gege, maungu gakola vulahi sana. Gama maungu manyingi sana. Lwa gama tsinzogu tsyali mu mulitu na tsyajenda ni tsihenda cha tsirya. Lwa tsyali tsigenda tsyanyola maungu. Lwa tsyanyola maungu tsinzogu yitsi tsyatanga kulya, tsilya lwa tsyamala kulya tsitsya. Lidiku lya kavili mukeere oyo yatsa kuhenza maungu gege kuli gazililanga. Nanyola tsinzogu tsyakulya ni yilana engo.

Kandi lidiku lya kavili yilana nanyola tsinzogu yitsi tsilile, lwa yilana isafari ya kavaga yanyola kasungula. Navola kasungula tsinzogu yitsi tsiliza maungu gange sana. Na nyala kukola ndina ili tsivule kulya. Kasungula yako kaseka kavola yecho ni kindu kidogo. Ndakulombela kandi tsilya ku dave. Yamanya na avolela kasungula, mbolela ku nyala kukola ndi. Yamanya nammbola ndetela mmbanu ma utsi mulimi umbenzele liungu linene, gunene ku gandi kosi. Mukeere oyo yamanya namuha mmbanu ma natsya mulimi namuvolela uvike he tsinzogu tsilonda. Mukeere oyo yamanya namuhenzela guungu ma namuvikila he tsinzogu tsimanya tsivitilanga. Kisungula yecho chavugula mmbanu ni kiyeva mu liungu lila ni chingila mu. Lwa chingila mu chikiling'ana. Mukeere oyo yamanya na atsya engo. Tsinzogu yetso tsyamanya ni tsitsa ni tsitanga lilya na tsyamanya ni tsirya vwangu vwangu. Inzogu indala yamila ya kisungula chali ni kivisi mu. Lwa tsindi tsyali ni tsilitsa tsihulitsa kindi ni kikola; kani ni munye mumala maungu gange, kani ni munye mumala maungu gange. Tsinzogu yetso tsyatula tsimbilu, tsiduka haundi tsihula kindu yecho kikola; kani ni munye mumala maungu gange, kani ni munye mumala maungu gange tsinyagula tsyamanya tsivola kwakaluha, kusingile kulole kina chekoleka.

Tsyasingila lwa tsyasingila tsivola kulombe ilaini, ni tsihula kifoyo kivola kani ni munye mumala maungu gange, kani ni munye mumala maungu gange. Vavola kunyala kukola ndina ni inzogu iyi. Tsyamoloma tsihulitsana kusinze inzogu indala, kindu kikola munda yumu kumanye ni kindu ki. Tsyamanya tsivgula inzogu eyo ni tsitaa. Lwa tsitaa ni tsinyola kasungula kavemu, ni tsivola kasungula yako kani ni ive ukunyangulitsanga, kwenya kwite. Kasungula kavola "mukanziti dave" ni tsimmbola inyama iyi yosi ulalya umale nako ni kavola, inyama ndalya ndamala muleke, nzi kutema tsinguyi sambe inyama iyi ku nangwaa ndi. Vammbola tsya utenye. Kamanya ni katsya ni katenya, lwa kamanya ni kavoha kalola imbiti. Kateva imbiti wenya inyama. Imbiti ni ivola ngendi mulitu yumu mwosi, nyenyi ku chandya nyoli dave, yammbola ngingile tsinguyi yitsi nzi kumanya ha inyama ive uli. Imbiti yavugula tsingu ni ivika ku mugongo ni vatsya ni inyola inyama eyo kasungula kammbola inyama iyi ndenya uli. Imbiti ni ivola ndalya.

Kasungula kavugula tsinguu ni kiluka, imbiti nilya inyama eyo lwa yamanya ni imala vuluhu vugivuha ni itsya kung'waa matsi. Lwa yanyagula ni itsya kung'waa matsi ni ing'waa matsi manyingi na kidaa ni chadika imbiti ni ikuza, luganu lwange lufwelele yahoo.

ENGOKO NA EMBADA

Gwali mugamba mulala engoko na embada vali valina sana. Nyasaye yavagasitsa ni vanyola vana. Navo vatsitsa kwenyela vana cha valya. Vatsitsa halala chigila vali valina, vatsitsa halala valetela vana chukulya. Liduku llala lyaduka embada ni ivola engoko, ndenya ntsi mu vugeni mu harusi. Embada ni ivola engoko nombele ki wa harusi na nakutsi na vana vetu. Nakutsi mu harusi, embada yamanya ni ivola engoko ndenya kutsi na iwe mu harusi na ndenya kutsi na vana vetu. Engoko yavugila, liduku lilonda ku engoko ni itsya kulola embada, vana vange masande gatambihe, na ovoye nakutsi na vana. Ndenya ungonye kun a lugembe, embeda yavugula lugembe ni iha engoko ni itsya engo.

Engoko eyo yamanya ni ikala vana masande, mugeni ni yingila. Engoko yamanya ni ilekela vana lugembe, ni yingila mumba natsya kumoloma na vageni. Lwa vamoloma na mugeni sana na vana vakinila na lugembe, mugeni oyo yamanya na atsya na engoko ni itsya ichova kumalitsa kukala vana masande. Yanyola vana vayo vagotitse lugembe yolo, venya vanyola dave. Imbada yamanya ni yatsa itsi mu harusi na engoko. Engoko ni yivisa, embada ni ihenza yalola engoko dave, embada yamanya ni itsya mu harusi. Ni vamala harusi ni yilanila hi engoko yahoo, ni inyola engoko iveho. Ni ivola nzitsi hanu kutsi mu harusi na iwe wivisi. Ni ivola ndenya umbe lugembe lwange kali inze vana vange vaveye vatambihe masande. Engoko yamanya ni ivola lugembe ndakuha vana vange vagotize, embada yamanya ni ivola engoko, ndavugula vuli liduku, mwana wowo mulala, mpaka lwa ulakambe lugembe lwange. Ne lwa ulola engoko ni isagala hasi vuli liduku, yenyela imbada lugembe lwayo. Lugano lwange luduki yahoo.

KEFOYO, LIKUDU NA LINYONYI

Kefoyo, likudu na linyonyi vala valina sana. Liduku lyaduka vikala hasi vamoloma. Linyonyi ni livola likudu na kefoyo, mbe na vugeni vwange havundu namumbile. Likudu na kefoyo ni vateva kwenya kutsi mu vugeni hai? Na linyonyi livola ndenya mumbile ku harusi ku mweli. Likudu na kefoyo lyavola linyonyi kutse kuve ku na mbaha dave, ku nakuduke ndi ku mweli. Linyonyi lyavola likudu na kefoyo ndavugula mmbaha gange muhe, lwa na kwilane nu munzilanyila. Vamanya vavugilila. Linyonyi lyavugula mmbaha lihaa likudu kandi livugula gandi lihaa kefoyo, vamanya valomba lugendo vatsya ku mweli, kwanza vikala ni vilanga mitaa. Likudu livola inze ndilanga wa vosi, na kefoyo kivola inze ndilanga wa mugeni. Na linyonyi livola inze ndilanga kutsya. Lwa vatsya vaduka mu vugeni.

Vugeni vutanga, vamala vugeni. Venya chukulya, lwa vadeki vatsa na vikulya valanga kwenya wa vosi. Likudu lyasingila livugula chukulya lilya limala. Kandi vagunza chukulya kindi kitsa vadeki vateva kwenya wa vosi, likudu lisingila lilya. Lwa liduku lyaduka isaa yakamwama venya vagone, valomba vugono vulahi sana ha vasosera. Vandu valomba vavola kwenya wa vosi, likudu lisingila litsya kugona. Ligona na valina veve vatigala ni vikale. Vatevana ku nakukole ndi, linyonyi livola kefoyo kunye kulikutsira vutsa. Vucha mugamba vakavuga, vadeka ichai na migadi na vindu valeta kumesa. Kandi vapishi yava vatsa vavola kwenya wa vosi. Likudu ni lisingila ni livugula chukulya ni lilya.

Linyonyi ni lisingila ni livola "kwali na ive, aki nu kuhaaku chukulya inzala ikwita". Likudu ni livola "ai! Inze mmbolele kwilange, vosi munye nu musula, munye mulava tsa ndyo" linyonyi lyamanya livola "likudu umanyi lwa kutsitsa engo ulanzilanyila mavaha gange. Manya ndole kuli umanya utsi." Lwa isaa yamanya ni iduka ya kutsya likudu lyamanya lilanyila linyonyi mavaha gayo. Likudu lyamanya lihomba linyonyi ni limuvolela "nu uyanza ndenya utsi engo kuvolela mukeere wange, avugule midoo, tsinguvu milingeti yale ichova manya ndule mwigulu yumu ninduma hasi na mbe nduchi." Linyonyi lyavugilila. Linyonyi lwa lyatsya ni liduka wa likudu, lyamanya livolela mukeere wa likudu "likudu livoli uvugule, tsimbanga, majiko, tsimbazi, mabadi uvike ichova lilaza." Mukeere oyo yamanya navugula vindu yevo navika ichova ni yala, likudu lyatula mwiguluni lituma likudu lyadikana, vindu yevo ni vikala mbiili gwosi.Ne lwa ulola likudu live na tsimbala ku mbili yugu. Luganu lwange lufwele yahoo.

MUKEERE NA VAKANA

Mukeere yali na vakana vatano, na mukana mulala ku vana yava yali mugata. Mukeere liduku lilala yavola mukana ndenya kutsi kulima. Mukana mulala nagaya inze ndwala. Natsya nagona, vandi vatsya kulima. Mukeere yamanya navugula mbeele navoitsa mu kimuga, yali yavoitsa mbeele yavika. Lwa vatsya mulimi valima. Lwa virana vitse kulomba chukulya vanyola mukana oyo avuki avugule mbeele yago, anywee adahi amatsi azukimu. Lwa vatsa ni valuga vukima ni vavika yahoo. Vavola mukana oyo idinye kutsile mmbeele yago kwenya kulagile, mukana oyo nagaya yinyalitsa ku mba. Kali ahula ku agende dave, yakulwala. Mukana mulala yamanya na avugula, natsya naleta. Lwa vatsuka galoleka vatsuka matsi.

Mukeere yamanya na avola "yaga gali mmbele gala matsi dave." Nateva yava "na munye munywee lwa kutsiye mulimi?" Ni vagaya. Nateva mulwale, mulwale nagaya navola "inze mbuki ku dave." Vavola kulatsya ku mugela. Lwa vatsya ku mugela ni vaduka ku, vavola kwenya kulombe ilaini na kulimbe nu kusila, nu kusila. Mukana wanywetsa mbeele nava wa kumalitsa. Mukana mulala natanga.

Sali ni inze, Sali ni inze

unywele amaveele x2

Siranga llala ni mbola si ndanywa ku maveele

Mukwasi ambehele

Nsila na avita kandi undi ni yatsa:

Sali ni inze, Sali ni inze

unywele amaveele x2

Siranga llala ni mbola si ndanywa ku maveele

Mukwasi ambehele

Nsila na natsya wa kavaga ni yatsa:

Sali ni inze, Sali ni inze

unywele amaveele x2

Siranga llala ni mbola si ndanywa ku maveele

Mukwasi ambehele

Nasila navita, wa katano oyo ni yatsa natanga limba:

Sali ni inze, Sali ni inze

unywele amaveele x2

Siranga llala ni mbola si ndanywa ku maveele

Mukwasi ambehele

Lwa yasila nagwaa mu matsi, nakutsira mu matsi ni vilana engo. Luganu lwange lufweele yahoo.

A woman, elephant and hare

I have a story about a woman, four elephants and hare. We had a woman who had a big farm that she liked planting on calabash. One day she went to plant calabash on her farm. When she planted the calabash they did well, many calabash grew. While in the forest the elephants were moving around and looking for what they can feed on. While they were walking they found the calabash and they started feeding on the calabash. They fed on and left. The following day the woman came to check on her calabash the way they are moving on. She found that the elephant had eaten the calabash, she returned home.

The following day she came and found that the elephant had fed on. The third time she came she also found hare. She told the hare that the elephants are feeding on her calabash. She asked him what she could do so that the elephants do not feed on the calabash. The hare laughed and told her it was simple. He promised to solve the issue for her and the elephants won't eat the calabash again. She asked the hare what to do. The hare asked her to bring a knife and then go to the farm and bring a large calabash. She gave him the knife, then she went to the farm and hare asked her to keep the calabash at a place where the elephants normally pass. The hare took the knife and made a hole inside the calabash and entered inside and kept quiet. The woman went back home and the elephants came and started eating very fast. One of the elephants swallowed the calabash that the hare had hid inside. While the others were eating they had something saying "it is you who finish my calabash, it is you who finish my calabash" those elephants ran away very fast and they reached at a point and they heard it speak again "it is you who finish my calabash, it is you who finish my calabash" they ran away and got tired. They decided to stop and see what was happening.

They stopped and decided to arrange themselves in a line. They heard the voice again "it is you who finish my calabash, it is you who finish my calabash" they asked themselves what to do and they found out that the voice was coming out from one of the elephants. They agreed to kill one of the elephants so that they find out what was making noise inside the elephant. They took the elephant and killed it. When they killed it they found hare inside. They said "it is you who is making us run, we want to kill you" the hare pleaded with them not to kill him. They asked the hare to eat the elephant meat and finish it. The hare agreed to do it but he asked them to allow him to go and look for firewood so that he could roast the meat and eat. They allowed him to go and look for firewood. He went and looked for firewood. While he was putting the firewood together he saw hyena. He asked hyena if he wanted meat and hyena told him how he had moved around the forest without finding anything to eat. He asked him to carry the firewood so that he could show him where the meat is. Hyena loaded the firewood on his back and he followed hare. They went and hare showed hyena the meat and asked hyena to eat. The hyena agreed to eat.

The hare took the firewood and ran away. The hyena ate the whole meat, when it finished it was thirsty it went to drink water. It took a lot of water and the stomach busted and it died. My story has ended there.

HEN AND HAWK

There was a time when hen and hawk were great friends. God blessed them with children and they were going out to look for food for their children. They used to look for food together because they were friends. One day the hawk told hen that it wanted to go out for a wedding ceremony. The hawk asked the hen to accompany her together with their children. The hen agreed and the following day the hen went to visit the hawk and told her that her children had long nails. She borrowed a razor blade and the hawk took razor blade and gave her.

The hen cut her children nails, and then a visitor came in. The hen left the razor blade to the children and she entered inside to talk to the visitor. She spoke with the visitor for long and the children decided to play with the razor blade. The visitor left the home and the hen went outside to finish cutting the children nails. She found that her children had lost the razor blade and it was nowhere to be found. The hawk came on to take the hen out for wedding ceremony. The hen hid herself, the hawk looked for her but she did not find her. Hawk went to the wedding ceremony alone. When the wedding was over, she came back to hen's place and found her. She told her that she came to pick her but she hid herself. She asked her to give back her razor blade since her children had long nails also. The hen told her that she gave her children the razor blade and it got lost. The hawk told the hen that it will be taking one chick from her every day until the day that she will return her razor blade. That is the reason to why the hen is always searching for it every day, she wants to find the razor blade. My story ends there.

KEFOYO, LIKUDU NA LINYONYI

Hare, tortoise and bird were great friends. One day they sat down and had a talk. The bird told the tortoise and the bird that it was invited somewhere for a party and asked them to accompany him. They asked him where they were going for the party. The bird told them that she wanted them to take her to a wedding on the moon. The tortoise and hare told the bird that they do not have wings to fly. The bird told them that she will give them her wings but when they come back they give the wings back to her. The bird gave the wings to them; before they left they gave themselves names. The tortoise named himself All and the hare Visitor and the bird Departure. They went and arrived at the place of visit.

They started the ceremony and finished it. They wanted meals. When the cooks wanted to serve meals they asked all of them to take the meals and since all was a name that belonged to tortoise he went and took the meal alone and denied others. They waited and another meal came and all stood and went to take the meal. When it was dark and they wanted a place to rest the tortoise stood and went to sleep alone. He slept while his friends were sitting. They wondered what to do and the bird told the hare to be patient. The following morning tea and bread was prepared and kept on the table, and all went and ate the meal.

The bird told tortoise to share the meals since they were starving and we were with you. The tortoise told them that while they were naming themselves he asked them to take all as their name and they refused. The bird told the tortoise that while they will be going home he will have to return her wings. When time came the tortoise returned the wings and pleaded with the bird to tell his wife to take mattresses and blankets and put them out he will jump from the sky and fall on them. The bird agreed to do so and when she arrived at tortoise home she told tortoise wife that tortoise had sent her to ask his wife to put sword, spade and iron sheets outside he was coming. The wife took those things and put them outside. The tortoise came from the sky and fell on those items and broke his body. Those things cut his body and that is the reason to why the tortoise has scars all over the body. My story has ended there.

A WOMAN AND GIRLS

There was a woman who had five girls. One of the girls was lazy. One day she asked her to go with her to the farm to dig. She refused and said that she was sick. She went and slept and others went to dig. The woman took milk and fermented it in a gourd. They went to the farm and when they returned back to cook food they found that the girl had taken the milk and drank it then she added in water. When they came they baked maize flour and they asked the sick child to bring the fermented milk on the table. The girl said that she was unable to since she was sick. One of the girls went and brought the gourd, and when they poured into cups they found out that it was water.

The woman told them that she had fermented milk and not water. She asked the girls who went to the farm with her if they drank the milk and they said no. she asked the sick girl and she said that she did not get up. They agreed to go the river and arrange themselves in a line and sing a song as they cross. The girl who drank the milk was the last one. One of the girls began.

It is not me, it is not me

Who drank the milk x2

I am crossing once saying that I did no drink the milk

My in law has lied that it is me

She crossed then another one came:

It is not me, it is not me

Who drank the milk x2

I am crossing once saying that I did no drink the milk

My in law has lied that it is me

She crossed and the third one came:

It is not me, it is not me

Who drank the milk x2

I am crossing once saying that I did no drink the milk

My in law has lied that it is me

She crossed and the fifth one came and started to sing:

It is not me, it is not me

Who drank the milk x2

I am crossing once saying that I did no drink the milk

My in law has lied that it is me

When she crossed she fell in water, she died in water and the others returned home. My story has ended there.