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The struggle with many a rigid Logooli cultural practices

  The Logooli community is one of the deeply cultured societies – with near everything supposed to have been done as per custom – to allow another custom to follow. One example is that for a mature man (with a child or more) to be buried, there must be a house structure at home. Another is that a boy must be circumcised and nursed in father land. If maternal family decides to, the boy will have a hard time reconnecting with father people - a dent on his masculinity. There were two children who got burnt to death in a house in Nairobi. The single mother had left for night work. Elders were told that one of the children was Logooli. The other, the woman had sired with someone else. The Logooli family wanted to burry their little one and long discussed the do’s and don’ts. Of a man who died childless and the grave was placed as if he had died as a man with children. It should have been dug on the sides, the grave. A real thorn should have been thrust in his buttocks, his name go...
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Fetching Water

Children started to cry in desire to follow their mothers and siblings to the river. Once they gain strength, they are given the light most jericans (or pots) which cannot quench thirst when full. The process grows up to become a tiresome one when they grow to suit the task. 

Fetching water was among responsibilities that prevented idling when it was off-farm season. It was both a working task and something to do when all work is settled. The swinging hips towards the river attracted boys whom when cows were reduced, they adopted the task. They went down to the river with their cousins and sisters.


To all, news were shared at the river- which girl is now married, who is now older, who died and all others. Boys and girls threw their bodies into the river defiantly to orders that the river may be polluted. Some went there to keep off from disturbance and stree at home. 

When the population grew in my time, I had to wake up early enough, when the fog was dense on the river and fetch fresh water before a line up. You could hear the noise of the jericans as I competed along other early birds. But in the day, when there was nothing to worry about, the round jericans could take their own motion in gravity and be controlled by the legs. 

Women and men who were building a new mud house or in a family with a ceremony that required much water could be gazed at from the other ridge. They made such recurring movements that pleased deep eyes. And when the village elder whistled for the cleaning of the spring, all came with their jembes. 
Mother; showing how she used to go fetch water.


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