Play time: 11:00 minutes. Recorded in Sabatia, Kenya, June 18, 2014.

Kugavula Murimi

Herman Asava

Sande muno inze lyita liange ni Herman Mulinya Asava ndula Igafumbwa mu sublocation ya Gavudia, Wodanga location, Sabatia District ma kovetsa mu county ye Vihiga. Inze ninze mulala ku vandu vasingiliyi mang'ana ga utamaduni vwa valogoli ma kandi ngendanga kandi mu western province muno valusha vanyenyanga ku vunyinge kwenya kwiga ku mang'ana gu mwima. Mang'ana gu mulimi hango na manyinge sana. Kalunu gwaveye kolegela vandu vanyinge; vamanyi kuli vagavula milimi dave. Murimi noveye ni ifamili ya hango, avana va wivula vene vala umanye uvagavula mirimi na nive mwene, unyala konyola ku mundu wovo we ihiri anoho ligutu liva linyoleka ho muve nangaye hala ma mutange ligavula mirimi jiene jila. Lwa muvola kalunu mwa kava na avana waleta mukali wayivula nangaye avana, mima jitu jia kitamaduni jivola ndi nanga ndi mwana nakili koleta mukali dave, yumbakanga inyumba ya kulanga idisi. Idisi yene yila iveye mu nu muliango mula gwonyene gwu kwingila na si vavika ku gwe ichandangu dave kuduka lwa aleta mukali. Yakamala koleta mukali, mulimi gwene gula ni yakamala kwivula ku avana, ku yilwo lwa umanaya ugavula murimi gwene gula uha ku mwana mwene ula ha ava na alima. Ma niduka inyinga yindi onyole mwana mwene ula naye amanya lilago limanya livola ndi atategema murimi gwa hango gwonyene dave; gwa hango amenyamu vutsa nakikili mung'ele ku kandi genyekanga yenye ku murimi gwigwe ichova yila kijira lwa navey yakaduka na avana vavuli kotegemea murimi gwa guga wavo dave; kuduka ave nu murimi gwe ichova kandi gwa aligavula ku naye avana veve. Murimi gwene gula si aveye mu malago ge kitamamaduni; si aveye ni mukali olombela avana dave. Uve mundu musatsa kwu ugavuli avana vovo. Na avana vala vaveho niva wayivula ku avana ichova, avana vene yava vaveye kuli vumbakilwangwa. Mwana mwenyo si avikwanga mu avana va mukali mwene ave hene hala dave; vavikwanga mu mbeta anoho vumbakilwa ku indangu. Na avana vovo va oveye navo vala utamwumbakitsa mu mugitsi gwugwo vurungi dave. Ni umwumbakitsi mu chamugitsi vurungi limanyia ndi maisha gogo wakogeitsa si omenya ligali dave. Ku murimi gula umanya ubimila mwana usiena virenge ma ummbola murimi gwogwo yigu. Inyumba yeye ya aveye mu yila kandi ku umanye gadukana adeke vivie. Vandu vakali vamulombela mahiga gavaga ga nadekele mu viukulia vivie. Na murimi gwene gula koveye ni inzila ya usienela mu mulimi gwene gula kandi gadukana gusaliswe. Koveye ni kindu kevolanga makuvo ga vatotsanga kumanyia ndi mwana mwene oyo murimi gwigwe guduka hene hala. Mwana mwene ula viruki namnaya ha baba yamba ni yaha. Na avana va wivula ichova vala niva kandi yive ni mwana wi indasimba anoho ni wu mwando, kuduka mwana mwene navikwa mmulimi ave naveye mwana muyayi. Madiku gali ga kale ingawa serekali yitu ya Kenya yaveye kugilung'anyia ho, mwana mukana nataveye ni limenya vurungi dave, adukana ahevwe murimi hango; lakini gali ga kale, mwana mukana si yahevangwa ku murimi hango dave; yatsitsa lukali iye atsia konyola murimi wa atsiyi mu lukali wene yila. Malago gandi gaveho gavola ndi nangwa mukali yigwo murimi gwa marova. Ku inzila ya ulindila mu marova gene gala kandi ndio mukali alindangwa kandi. Ku lwa mukali atsitsa yila mmugitsi gula kalunu atsitsa konyola malova gene gala, avana va, yivulanga wa atsiyi wene yila. Yigo mang'ana gali ga kale ga vagavula mu murimi gwa hango.

Vamanya venyanga ndi vamanye mwana mwene oyo yivulwa hayi. Mwana wu mukana yivuliyi havo si ahevwangwa murimi hango hene hala dave; kuduka atsie wa ise aveye. Ise natamanyikani dave, vanyala tsa kumuha hene hala lakini aveho temporary kuduka avula kufwana ligali mwana wu mugitsi gwene gula dave; yani kwa heshima ya ovetsa noveye nayo kijira mwana mukana ula kuduka avole wa mukola inda ni yivula mwana mwene ula. Na gadukananga mundu mwene akwe mwana mukana nataveye na havundu handi dave, ku alamenya hango hene hala; siu umusiuva dave kijira ni wa mwana wovo yivula.

Nutsitsa mu safari noveye ni mukere wovo, utatsia ku ni morembani dave. Kuduka iye ave ukusalisa nakovola genda vulahi nutsia musafari yene yila. Lwa utsitsa musafari mwene mula, mukere wovo akodekere ichai, niva ni ichai, utuli hango ni mirembe. Lwa utula hango, umanye sia uva nugenda. Niva enzoka ilakukala ku imbiri yila, utatsia mu safari yene yila dave, linyonyi linde liveho likolekana kuli lyimba liveye ku musala ni utsitsanga, linyonyi liene lila livola ndi logendo lula si loveye lulahi dave, nutsitsa mu logendo lula ma witsukana wagana na vandu vaveye kuli vasiomanga nu mukutsu, utatsia dave; vudinyu vumanya vokonyola wene yila. Ku gadukana nuhula mukutsu naveyo, olole inzila ya ove nutsila mu anoho ulindi vatange kuvita ku nangwa utsie mu lugendo. Na nogenda kandi munzila wakasimuka, witsukana wichigatila ku virenge yivi nutsitsanga, umanye iveye bahati mbaya logendo si loveye lulahi dave, wilane yengo. Wutsitsa wene yila, logendo lwa utsitsa mu lula, utsie kohenza mu mudoga gwa wingila mu. Utikala ku shimbe isaa yindi unyala kutsia mmudoga anoho gwa murembana mu si umanya uduka vurahi dave. Ku genyeka nogenda kunzila ogende vulahi sana. Ma kandi mwitsukana nonyola vandu vaveye munzila vamolomela munzila mwene mula, utavita hagati havo dave; vandu vene vadukana vave kunduru na yive utsili kundulu, nutsila hagati hene hala umanya onyola bahati mbaya wa utsitsa wene yila. Kandi lwa utsitsa kunzila kwene kula, ohenze kuli mutevana mirembe; valiha va mutevana navo mirembe. Kandi lwa utsitsa lula ove numanya nutula mmba mwene mwana ki wovo wa wivula mmba wu kutanga. Ni watanga muyayi, mwagana ni mwana muyayi oveye ni ingavi indahi, mwagana nu mundu mukali; umanyanga logendo lulwo si luva lulahi dave. Kandi umanyilitse mukali mweneyo ni yakatanga ku mwana muyayi anoho ndi nangwa. Niva watanga mwana mukana na mwagana nu mundu mukali kandi umanya logendo ni lulahi ku utsitsanga ni umanyi mwagani na vwaha lwa utsitsa lula, mundu wa mutevani naye mirembe wu kutanga yali vwaha, ma kandi uvuli kuvita hagati ha vandu vikaye kijira vavetsa vaveho na mang'ana gandi ma uvita hagati hene hala wutsitsa yila utsia konyola ingavi ndamanu; ku genyekanga umanyilitse vandu vene vala vaveye munzila vaveye na kindiki. Ma kandi ohenze vindu via mwagana navio vikara imbiri wovo; niva enzoka yakukala imbili wovo, umanye logendo si loveye lulahi dave navutsa kindi kindu manya vindu vimola kuli kivudu yiki nikiviti, chene yiki si keveye ni vudamanu dave; lugendo lwa utsitsa mu ni lulahi. Ku vindu via olola vigenda hasi yivi vimola na manyonyi ga olola yaga, gaveye mu malala gaveye ni ingavi indahi na gandi indamanu. Yijio mima jia kovetsa nangajio jiene jila.

Land partition

Thank you my name is Herman Mulinya Asava I am from Gahumbwa Gavudia sub-location, Wodanga location, Sabatia District and we are in Vihiga County. I am among those that are standing for the things of traditional culture in maragoli again I am moving around western province the luhya need me in order to learn about the culture. The issues of land at home are many. Today it has defeated many people; they do not know how to partition the land. The land when you have a family the children that you have given birth to you are the one who partition and give them land, you can look for a person that is from your clan or a village elder you be with him and you start partitioning the land. When you say today you have children you have married a wife and you have given birth to children, our traditional culture used to say before a son marries he should first build a hut. And that hat should have one door and they were not putting another door until that son marries a wife. When he has married and he has finished giving birth to children that is when you partition the land and you give him where he can dig. It reaches a time when that son knows the law of the culture that you should not depend on the land that is at home alone the one at home he uses it when he is still young he should also have the argue to look for his own land outside there because when he will be old the children will not be dependent on their grandfathers land; he should have his land outside there where he will share to his children. That land has traditional cultural laws and it should not be a woman who is making it for the children it should be the man who is partitioning and sharing to the children. And those children are there if you had given birth to children out of wedlock those children should be figured out on how they can build a house. Those children are not kept together with the children of the wife who is there; they are kept on the sides or down behind the homestead. Not together with the children that you are having and those children should not build their house in front of your house. If you allow them to build in front of your homestead then you have reduced your life and you will not stay for long. You normally measure your land and the son does it by stepping and then you tell him that is his land. His house that he is in and he should know that he should cook his food. The women makes for him three stones where he will be cooking from. And that land there is a way of measuring it and it should have been blessed. There is something that they plant to show that the land of that son is reaching at a certain point. That child the fence shows that where the father gave him is reaching at that point. The children born out of wedlock can only be allocated land if they are boys. Those were the past days but the government has changed that if the girl has not had a good life where she is staying then she should be given land at where she was born; but long time ago a girl was not given land at home; she was getting married and that is where she was given land. There are laws that are saying that the wife is the land of the soil. The way you are taking care of that soil that is how the wife is also taken care of. When the wife is going to that homestead that is how she is going to get that soil, the children that she gives birth to when she goes there. Those were the issues of the past and how they were partitioning the land they normally want to know where that child was born. When a girl gives birth to a child the child is not given land in that home; he has to go where the father is. If the father is not known he can be given there but be there temporarily and he should not look like the child of that homestead; the respect that you have for that girl is when you impregnate her and she gives birth to a child. And that person should pay for dowry for that girl if she does not have another place, he will stay in that home and you won't throw him because he is a child that your daughter gave birth to

When you go for a journey with your wife you should not travel when you have disagreed. She should be the one to pray for you and wish you safe journey. When you are going for that journey your wife should cook for you tea, if it is tea you leave home in peace. When you are leaving home you know the way you are walking. If a snakes moves in front of you then you should not resume that journey, there is bird that sounds like it is singing when it is on the tree, that bird is saying that the journey is not good and if you go for the journey and you meet bad people a dead person, you should not resume the journey; trouble finds you there. When you hear the dead is there you should figure out for a way of passing or you wait they pass and then you continue with your journey and if you are on the road and you stumble your feet you know it is bad luck and that journey is not good, you go back home. Where you are going, that journey that you are going to you go and look for the vehicle that you will get in. sometimes you can get into a vehicle that you have had quarrel hence you won't arrive safely. When you are walking on the road you should travel safely. And if it happens that people are talking on the road you should not walk in the middle of them; those people should be on the sides and you walk on the sides too when you go in the middle of them you normally have bad luck where you are going. Also when you are on the road you greet people; and you be keen about those that you are greeting. And also when you are leaving you should know the type of a child that you gave birth to at first. If your firstborn is a boy and you meet a boy you are lucky, when you meet a woman you then know that journey won't be good. And you should also know if that woman gave birth to a boy first or what. If she gave birth to a girl and you meet a woman you should also know you have met who on the road, the first person you greeted was who, you should not walk in the middle of the people that are seated because they have other issues and if you walk in the middle of them where you are heading you are going to have a bad luck; you should know those people that are on the road they have what. You should also look for the things that you have met and the ones that have walked in front of you; if a snake has passed ahead of you then you know the journey is not good but other things that are speaking when thy pass they do not have anything bad; the journey that you are going to is good. The things that you are seeing down here walking, talking the birds that you are seeing, there are some that have good luck and others have bad luck. Those are the traditional cultures that we have.