MSANIAGA ISN'T A MARAGOLI. IS HE?

Coutesy of baba Albert.

Mugenge begot Liguchi. Liguchi begot Isagi. Isagi begot Lung’afa. Lung’afa begot Igunza, my father. That is around 130 years ago. Barrack Muluka traced his roots to 500 years ago. What a faithful son of soil! Sooner, I will satisfy the blank questions of my origin.  Kizungu, the son of Mulogoli (1530AD as found at www.luhya.net)  had two sons, Gisemba and Aliero, the founders of Avagizembwa and Avaliero. Other families which are said to belong to this sub-clan are: Avasuba, Avasaniaga, Avayonga and Avakebembe. When you get rated with half tribes like Abasuba, you should question. With a void of at least 1400 years, I feel empty. From where did we come from?

Mugenge came fron the vasaniaga – Ihiri ya Mweremi. This is courtesy of Albert Mudachi, the first son of Lung’afa. His rural stay and the involvement in a number of extended family issues has given him a better position in knowing what his brothers do not know but not much to brag about. My father knows too less to sustain a talk concerning family hierarchy. Only if oral literature was as dependable as books, then the son of soil would have been drunk of his history.

Msaniaga is a sub-tribe among the 14 sub-tribes of Maragoli. Maragoli is one of the 18 sub-tribes of Luhya in Kenya. Though Vasaniaga, like the sub-tribes in Maragoli do not have a language accent differences, there are underlying issues that  necessitate actual divisions as Luhya tribes are concerned. Lucky is Luhya tribe  that the sub-divisions have played a big part in identification, consideration and respect unlike in other Kenyan sub-tribes where sub-tribes have engaged in the pleasures and vanity of war.

A question of whether vasaniaga are or aren’t original Maragoli people came into being one day when I had bicycled to Mazigulu- a place theorized by local community that Jesus walked there. I washed my hands in the healing water on top of the rock and stepped in the ‘leg’. I saw number 14 and the ‘padlock.’ I went ahead to see the casket rock. I humbled to a prayer and it is that time that Julius Kigaro, a local headman joined in prayers. He would then take me into all this as we walked to Kiritu.

He informed that Vasaniaga are not true Maragolis and to my want, I took to finding out the half-truths. I only got the five generations list. It is through discontention that the heart yearns. I was. Murogoli  is believed to have been the ‘neighbour’ of Mkisi (of the Kisii tribe) around 600 years now. He moved East, settling at Mungavo (Maragoli Hills). Living near Kalenjins,  intermarrying  gave rise to Tririki sub-tribe among the Luhya. An interaction with already migrated Luhya community gave his generation an association that would identify Abanyore as his immediate ‘brothers’ in the Luhya tribe. It is not clear whether Maragolis are indeed Luhyas or baptized Luhyas. Bukusu’s think otherwise.  

          

Maragoli as a language has a mantix similar to Swahili. If one did not borrow much from the other, then the other borrowed much from one. As Bantu and Arabs interacted, Swahili came into being. As many words that were borrowed from Maragoli, presently are being taken  back when maragoli of present times opt to use Kisawhili due to their minute knowing of their mother tongue. Sound ‘kh’, commonly used among Luhya subtribes is unfound in Maragoli and only ‘K’ is implied.  It may also go without proof that the many men who were arraigned at Chavakali before walking down to the coast as slaves may have contributed to the come up of Swahili language. ‘Women still wait for their men at the market as they engage in micro-bussiness.’  

          

Murogoli had four sons- Mmavi, Mkirima, Mkizungu and Msari. No msaniaga. No others. Even the Variero, who consider their door superior were not the first of Murogoli!  Machuki, having served as a village elder in Denja village Nandi County  for more than 32 years now, has not forgotten about his roots back in Maragoli. He says that the rest Maragoli sub-tribes are of ‘women’ they married. He agrees that Msaniaga, mmasingira and the rest as names adopted from where the women came from. Now, where did the ‘Saniaga’ woman come from? Now that I am born of a kamba tribe  womb, can Mkamba become a sub-sub-sub-clan of my founding? How many generations form a clan?

Remember my name is Lung’afa. Angafa is an Oromo name that means ‘first borne’ or ‘elder’. According to Proffessor Mwanzi- Kenyatta Universty, when the British came, they found a strong Maasai Warrior Kingdom that would not be captured if not first divided. They captured men and instead of killing them, they were distributed among the collaborator Kings. King Wanga got  a number. Period. Having associated with Borana, Maasai’s had accepted the noun ‘Angafa’. They brought it into Luhya. But only a few families have the name. Most write it as Lungafwa. I took in this with a heavy heart because when I was still a fresh man in campus, ignorant of my roots, one girl had confused my name to a Maasai and a few friends to a Kalenjin because of my skin and skinny flesh. Can it be the case?

If Luo Kings collaborated, then they must have received the resisting Nilotes too. They have the Saniaga clan. Could have the Maragoli married from the clan? It is known that since time immemorial when people migrated, Luhyas and Luos have been on the forefront of a strong association that majorly involved giving a wife for another. Among the Maragoli, there is no other tribe so much talked and sang about other than Luo. A perfect interaction may have avoided fights with the fierce tribe. Maragolis, known of peace (cowardice if you like) may have negotiated for long lasted peace between the Luos and Kalenjins of the lake region (Givaswa).

Heretofore, I found out that Vasaniaga ara divisible. We have vakamnara who got the tag as a result of migrating due to population increase. As others remained  holding strong to extended family, this kind of blood went as far to Migori, Kitale, Lugari, Nandi and towns. They can be found whenever Luhyas are. Their scheming nature in environments of education, business and religion have given them a name to that of Kikuyu in central Kenya- people never afraid to explore new lands.

It is proved that Maragoli’s came from Misri, like any other Luhya sub-tribe. The whiteman escavated our original home to somewhere in Cameroon- Bantu. Going by the former, supported by oral fok tales, we may have migrated due to harsh treatment by the Egyptians during their war conquest for an empire. Before Israelites came to Egypt, Luhyas had already migrated away- to that Cameroon- leaving our Oga brothers in Nigeria and later to Uganda for the Kngdoms and to the lake for a present day settlement.

Broadly, population was slowed by the harsh natural effects which man was deficit in in external knowledge but intense with divine activities. Nyasaye was and is still the God. A man would be given a wife when he was mature. Maturity ranged among age sets that would take at least 30 years.  Circumcision was an 18-year period gap. For six months, initiates were expected to adopt the practices of the tribe. Values were adored and rated high above life. 

Women dealt with what came from’ivwasi’ (kitchen) while men handled that which came from the front. This avoided conflicts that were termed as ‘Mujiru’- sin. It was known to any mature person what a sin was. Authority was respected because it was honest and divine. Vakizungu variero were endowed with village leadership.  Reason was uphold and violence disregarded as a result of the effects. When the Missionaries in Nyang’ori and Kaimosi arrived, they forund a peaceful orderly and religious community that could only be converted with providence of needy services like win-lose justice to the vulnerable, medication to the sick and new methods of livelihoods never to experience the famine of the ‘cup’, a common fable. As if they were ready for civilization, least resistance was offered.

Being Msaniaga or Mwariero though carries no much water in its bag, leadership among the Maragoli’s stlll is determined by such forces strongly held by elderly people. Soon it may depart from the minds of people. But the other demarcating things as prohibited marriage inside one’s clans should be uphold. I am superstitious knowing that an omission is severe than a commission. As a cow dies on every 26^th December during Utamaduni day at Mbale without necessarily being killed but by the words of the elders, a breach in one or two crucial things will not only throw us apart but kill us definitely. Most have died. The Murogoli is mutating to a modern man- with no boundaries and origin. Only time will tell.

The hierarchy hangs on my wall. Looking at it with more disconnectedness sends me to books that not only give other theories, but increase the length of my yearning umbra. At least I know that the land which grandmother waits for her day in was bought by 2 jembes, 2 goats and a pot of sour brew. She is less of Msaniaga than she is of Christ. She finds no pleasure in talking about the good old times. Who listens? But one thing for sure she says …’vuyu arambiranaaa, wari wivurwi?’ – If the elder child killed her during birth, would you have been born? This is her question each time respect fails.

If you do not know history, you do not know anything. You are a leaf that does not know it is part of a tree. As for the little I know, I may not be the Mulogoli I think I am. I may be some other person from another tribe that I least associate with. Few will agree to an otherwise thought for there is nothing as bad as denying what another man believes in in his presence.