Play time: 12:51 minutes. Recorded in Mudete, Kenya, March 27, 2014.

Tsingano Tsya Valogooli

Grace Otieno

Nyenya mbole ku tsingano tsia valogoli. Yitsi ni tsiavolwanga vandu lakini tsiva ni livola liu mugati.

Utakina ku ligina ligina ni luya: liamanyia ndi mundu yali anyala kuchaya undi na siyamanya ni mundu uveye ni tsinguru kiasi ki dave. Kinila mundu lakini onyola mundu mwene oyo ndi anyala kushira hadinyu.

Yu mugeli ihila mu kesegese: vandu vali vayanza kokola mang'ana gavo mu chivisu. Lakini mang'ana gene yaga gatsa gahulika havulavu kijira isiri iveye ku ho yu mundu mula dave.

Imbisi ihuliyi mulilu: imbisi ni mundu watahulika kuli mu viukulia yenya alie yiki, alie kila, alie kindi na atadukila kovola ndi yiguti dave. Mundu kuli mwene oyo yali yamanyikana yayanza kulia ni yasingila navoye yiguti vamukubila lugano yilu ndi.

Keretsero cha ta mbayi

Utalola nya vukana dada yata vutsa tsing'ombe: kuli kalunu avana va kalunu ni vahenza vakere anoho vasakulu vavachaya valola vaveye ni cha vavola dave na si vitsulitsa ndi vali ku avana vayayi anoho vakana dave. Gamanyia ndi lwa vasakulu na vakere yava vali vakikili vasoleli vakola ku vindu via avana va kalunu vakola.

Mbiushukane yashia mmunwa: lwene yilu lugano lwakubilwa mundu wali yayanza kovolavola mang'ana. Vandu vala vahula ling'ana vashushukana nalio tsimbiru ni vavola vandu. Vakubilwa kuvola mundu nu uhuli ling'ana utanaga ulinda uhulitsa litula hayi na litsitsa hayi.

Enyegangwa nikitsia mu liginga

Mukali mulavu afunya kevove: lwene yilu lwavolwanga ku vandu ndi utalola tsa mundu ligondo ma ovola ni mundu mulahi dave. Vandu vanyinge valola vakana valavu vavola vene yava ndi vadukila. Kevove ni mima. Kumbe ligondo liavo lila si lifwanana ni mima jiavo dave. Yicho cha chajira vavopla lugano yilu.

Utasamba utali nangutsa: vavola utasamba vavola ni vuchima nangutsa ni tsingutsa. Vuvetsa vuveye vuchima vwa vandu venya valagili ni tsingutsa dave, lugano lwene yilu lwamanyia ndi amang'ana gataveye shimbe nive ogenyela ki. Mundu niyatsitsa ku undi ni tsimbemba na ambola ling'ana oyo yajiba amuvola lugano yilu kovola ndi nyenyi mang'ana gogo dave mbeye ni haja nago dave.

Genda garaha yaduka imbo

Engoi evona mala gayo: engoi ni inyama yu vulimu ingawaje vandu valala vamenya natsio mu tsinyumba tsiavo vene vamanya cha vakola. Kovona mala gayo umwana wi engoyi avetsa tsa ni mima jie engoyi. Yili liveye kovola onyola mwana wu mundu naveye tsa ni mima jia baba weve anoho jia mama weve. Lwene yilu lugano lwakubila mundu ndio; vavola mwana wa vuyu akola ndi akola ndi; ma mundu akuba lugano yilu.

Kilandonga kalunu chali kendonge mugamba: hene yaho ni mundu ni aveye lidiku lilahi yegomba ndi gali ga kalunu gali gave ku kandi ka mugamba.

Cha ulitsa ogona nacho mba: hene yaho vakubilanga mundu wigananga nandulitse hayi chukulia, nangole ndi; yakubilangwa lugano yilu kumumanyia ndi nangwa lidiku livetsa likikiri. Ingavi yoyo ikitsia na inyala kokonyola isaa yosi kari vudiku vukiri kuduka.

Utamwa ga vina linda sunde inguvu: lwene yilu lwakubilwa vandu vagata. Vandu valala vali ho natsia mulimi navola ligembe yili lilima vulahi mba, ndava ni lyitu ngani liali lilimi vulahi. Navolwa akole igasi fulani navola ah ah, igasi yene iyi mulamba ku yindi ndali ngole vulahi. Lwakubilwa vandu vagata. Kuvina ni kusieva na inguvu ivetsa yu mundu yivichi. Ku natamiywi kusieva anyala kovehera inguvu avola ndali sieve vulahi sana lakini kijira inguvu ni indambi ingoyanyia; mundu yayanza kuhana ivivune kuvula kokola igasi ya avetsa naheyevwe.

Ha ndavela musala gwa mera swaa: lwene yilu lwakubilangwa vandu kuli vimani, utanyala kukuka kindu dave. Lelo nakuha ogenya lelo aduchi kuliha alahana. ANoho mundu utanyala kukuha na akulaga ndi lidiku flani nangohe avolwa lugano yilu. Gamanyia ndi nangwa kindu cha ovola ni okole yicho ndio ungada vutsa.

Usiera nya alitsa: gene yuago ni giligale kabisa. Mundu nasietsa si anyala kogona ndio dave. Mundu nahevwa igasi nakola paga alie hene hala. Yaha ni kumanyia ndi mundu ni yahevwanga igasi yimanula na avola ndi usiera nyia alitsa.

Lugano lukubwa walumanya: mundu watamanya tsingano si anyala kovolwa mang'ana ma afafanue amanye mang'ana gene yago maana ya go ni kindiki. Vavola mundu unyala kumanya gavola ndi.

Muronji alila ku lujo: muronji kwa mfano ni mundu oronga kovole tsinyingu. Nutsia hango hehe ulanyola aronga tsinyingu nagulitsila vandu naye mwene avula inyingu mmba. ANoho mufundi yumbakila vandu tsinyumba tsindahi na nutsia hango hehe avula inyumba indahi anoho kali avula inyumba. Vafundi ni vanyinge, kali kuli olombanga tsindeve, tsimesa, vidali anyala kolombela vandu na agulitsa ku ibei indahi yi igulu lakii nutsia hango hehe unyala kusingila mmba kijira uvula endeve yu kwikala ku, unyala kogona hasi ku ligunia kijira yalomba ku kidari dave. Ga akola vandi si gaveye ga yekola mwene dave.

Chu kumatsi kegona vuruhu: yilu lugano vuruhu ni kuva ni vuha vwu kunwa amatsi. Na kovola chu ku amatsi kegona vuruhu gaveye kovola ndi unyala konyola mundu yamenya himbe ni ha anyala konyola vokonyi lakini vandu vi ihale vatsa vanyola vokonyi vwene yivwo naye mwene acheleva kuduka ho. Yicho chajira lugano yilu lukubwa.

Lukuyi ;uveye kwirungu loseka loveye mmahiga: avandu vanyinge vatenya tsingu vavika hirungu ma vatulitsa ho vavika mmahiga vadekela. Gamanyia ndi lukui lovetsa kwilungu lovetsa loseka lwu mmahiga dave, yilu lugano lwakubilangwa vandu vayanzila mang'ana gu undi hasa madamanu gu undi avetsa nanyoye na yivila kumanya ndi kandi naye aveye ku na madamanu gene yago. Lugano lwene yilwo lufwanana nu lundi avatwa vasekana tsimbara. Mundu unyala konoloma mang'ana ku mundu fulani ooh avana veve na vivi, vasoma mba na ngani yive novola ndiop kandi vovo vakukubitsa kivi; vasoma da ma galoleka oseka yu undi na yive oveye ni imara yene yila; avatwa vasekana tsimbara.

Yitsio nitsio tsingano tsia nyanzi ku kovola ku lidiku lia kalunu na kutsirili mugamba gundi.

Maragoli proverbs

I want to say the maragoli proverbs. These ones were told to people but they had hidden meaning.

Do not play on the stone, the stone is hot: it was showing that someone could look down upon another person without knowing how energetic that person is. You can do that to a person and you find that person has taken you to a tough place.

The clever one ends up at the roof: people liked doing their things in secret. But these things happen in open because there is no secret fro one person.

Gluttonous person has heard fire: this is a person who is never contended with the food given, he wants to eat this, that and eats without getting contended. A person like that was known to eat while standing and if he said he was contended they used to clap for him with this proverb.

Do not look at your old mother and say that father threw away cows: like the present days when children look at their old mothers and fathers they look down upon them. They say that they do not have anything that they are saying and they do not remember that they were once young boys and girls. It means that when these men and women were still young they didn't do what the young people do these days.

Mbiushukane burned the mouth: this proverb was told to someone who liked speaking carelessly. Some people listen to words then they rush to tell others. They were told this to let them know that when you hear something do not rush,, you wait and see where it is coming from and where it is going.

A white woman smells bad: this one was told to people that, you should not look at someone's skin and you say that she is a good person. Most of the people look at the white people and they say that they are competent. "kevove" is behavior. Their skin is not the same as their behaviors that is the reason to why they were saying this proverb.

You are burning, you will eat with the vegetables: they were saying that you are burning referring to baked maize flour and vegetables. It is not the baked maize flour and vegetables that people eat. This proverb was referring to why someone engages in issues that he/she won't achieve anything out of them. Whenever someone went to spread rumors to another person she was told this proverb. I do not want your issues am not interested.

A cheetah eats it's intestines: this is an animal that lives in the forest even though there are some that stay with them in their houses and they know what they do with them. It means that the young one of a cheetah has the same characters as the cheetah. Hence you find the child has the same character as the father and mother. This proverb was told to someone like that. They used to say the son of someone is doing this and then he is told that proverb.

The one that is piercing me today could have pierced me tomorrow: this is when someone had a good day he/she wishes that he could have had the same, the following day.

The one that you are eating you do not sleep with it: this one was told to someone who is thinking of where he/she can get food. What shall I do; he was told this proverb to know that the day is still early, your luck is coming and it can find you any time even when the night has not come.

You are defeated to dance; wait I pull the cloth: this one was told to the lazy people. There are some people when they go the farm they say that the tool they are using is not digging well; if I had another tool it could have dug well. When told to do a certain job he says; ah ah if you gave me another job I could have done it well. It was told to the lazy people. "Kuvina" is to dance with the cloth that you have kept on. When he is defeated to dance he can say that he could have danced well but the cloth is long and it has confused him. This is a person who likes giving excuses for the work that he has not done.

The long that I have stayed the tree has never grown swaa: this one was told to mean people, one who cannot give you anything. Now when she gives you wonder what made her to give you. Or someone who does not give then she promises that on a certain day she will give you. Such person is told this proverb. It is showing that you are promising to give me something that you won't fulfill.

The one who grind the flour for mother eats: this one is very true. If someone is grinding flour that person cannot sleep like that. When someone is given work to do he has to eat there. This one shows that when someone was given work to do, he began doing it and saying the one who grind the flour for mother eats.

A proverb is said to the one who knows it: someone who doesn't know proverbs cannot be told things then he understands the meaning.

A potter eats from the place of pottering: an example is someone who makes pot. When you go to his home, you will find that he is modeling pots as he sells and in his house he doesn't have any pot. Or a masonry who build good house for people and when you go to his home he doesn't have any good house, or he doesn't have a house. There are many handcraft people, like the one who make seats, tables and beds. He can make them for people and sell at a good high price. But when you go to his house you can stand because he doesn't have any seat to sit on. You can sleep on a sack because he doesn't have a bed. What he does for other people is not the same as what he does for himself.

The one on water sleeps thirsty: you can find someone is near where he can find help, but people from far come and get that help and he arrive late. That is the reason to why this proverb is said.

The firewood that is on the roof is laughing at the one on the fire: many people gather firewood and keep them on the roof and then they remove them and put on fire for cooking. It means that the firewood that is on the roof is laughing at the one that is on fire. This proverb was told to people who liked the negative side of someone else. And he forgets that he also has the bad issues. This proverb is the same as this; the ones operated laughs at their wounds. You can see someone's issues, maybe the children are thieves, they are not learning and you are saying that and maybe yours are also disturbing you. It means that you are laughing at someone else and you have the same problem. The ones operated laughs at their wounds.

Those are the proverbs that I liked to say today we will, continue another day.