THE ART OF BEING LUHYA

THE ART OF BEING LUHYA
Finally ,darkness engulfs the land!
The hour I eagerly wait for ,
Time to tell tales,
As per the popular Luhya belief,,
Darkness is the fuel of Good stories.


On our roads,
You cannot miss a bicycle (paiskeli)
Because it's our car.
On the paiskeli,you cannot miss a radio( Iretio
That is our laptop!!
On the Iretio,you can't miss greetings(salamu)
It's our signature move.

The only time you miss greetings,
Is the healing period after circumscion.
They carry the Sirere and chinyimba to ask for permission to join  manhood,
On the day of circumcision,soil is applied to numb their bodies,
Grass on their head depicts courage , and it shouldn't shake during the cut!!
They hold a stick called kumusukuni and get the cut of their lifetime.
Gifts are given as appreciation of the bravery .
And when they are healed,just before they leave jandoni,
They sleep outside , in the banana plantations.
Early in the morning they bathe in the river and wear new clothes given by their father,
Proof of transition  from mama's boy to daddy's son;childhood to adulthood.

Adult men build a simba
 To sleep in their mothers house becomes taboo,
Adult women get new bedding,
For they are no longer allowed to hop on their fathers bed.
Old men and women tell children the Society's stories,
For they are obligated to keep history alive.
Young children are named after those who have passed on,
For they maintain their legacy.


Just like life has a beginning it has  an ending .
My people are the best mourners though not professional.
As  we get dramatic and at times threaten to throw ourselves  in the grave  ,
But we mourn our dead with passion.
We have yambakhana ( disco matanga) ,
To celebrate our dead as lives well lived.


We wash our dead with precision,
Myths have it that we cook food with this water,
But we are better than that!!
After 3 days of "sleeping " in the house ,
We lay our dead to rest.
In the evening for the old ones,as a show of respect .
On the right side of the house with the face towards the house,
It is believed then the spirits of the dead will still protect the family.


OMG!
Its cock Crow,
It's time to wrap it up.
For it is a taboo to tell a tale
After the cock has crowed for light is at the verge of filling the sky.


By Favor khaoya

Comments

  1. Unknown26 March 2020 at 12:00

    Great work.where is omukhebi,where is sioyaYo?where is khuminya?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Favor khaoya27 March 2020 at 00:37

      Thanks dad😂😂I was born in the next era ...I will research more

      Delete
  2. Unknown29 March 2020 at 13:29

    Nice piece Favor,

    ReplyDelete
  3. Prudence Chepkoech Ngeno31 July 2020 at 01:00

    This is a great piece, I'd like to know more about your culture.

    ReplyDelete

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