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Heavy responsibilities for elder aunt among the Logooli

With Seenge Fonesi. She is the elder grand daughter of Isagi and elder daughter of Amugasya. She is often present in functions involving the family of Amugasya. Pic taken on 18/4/2024. The elder sister soon becomes the elder aunt. It is this “seenge munene” (elder aunt) tag that she is tied to many cultural responsibilities – back home. To her marital family she may appear as any other woman, but she is not so in the eyes of her people. Marriage does not steal her away as it would happen with other daughters of the old man. To her, as days go and the old man and woman of the estate are dependents, she becomes increasingly present.  Her brothers also need her for almost all traditional markings. They are marrying, she needs to welcome the new wife. They are giving birth, she needs to come to midwife or “bless” the new born. They are paying dowry she needs to lead the women delegate. There is a conflict she needs to come for a hearing.  And many others. Traditions does not expect her to
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Marara were the beddings from Banana trees. Have a look.


Bananas are precious in my community. What does a woman cook for in-laws for breakfast and eat to be proud of her? What does a grandmother give to quick grandsons? What makes a home a home?

We have a saying that kirie kinyare ketegerwaa rikora- that let it eat to satisfaction and in the end it will be trapped by a banana string. Banana string is such a delicate one that can be cut off with least strength. However an expert will dip it in water and with great marksmanship knit a strong string that a goat can trapped in. It was what we fetched to when we ran to the forests for firewood. Strong strings prevents one from cutting off the barks of young trees. 

A treasure comes with some amount of superstition. Banana farms are fertile because of  house sweeps waste- for houses are mud plastered. Plants that find their way in banana plantation grow healthy. Peppers are such plants. Weeds are often avoided and only medicinal plants left to grow. Healthy leaves prevent undergrowths and the land is always stree free. So, when you encroach to steal, the owner can speak a few obscenes on the rotting stem and leave it to decay away. It is believed that as the stem fade away, the thief will die of rotting legs and a bloated stomach. Sometimes the thieves are very wise and it may take days for the owner to notice. But how can the owner fail to notice when all the time since its fruitful stage he has been checking and supporting with fidles against falls?

Ceremonies are planned and waited for with bananas. You haven't seen my mother refure to cut the ready banana simply because dad hasn't yet arrived for December holidays. If it happens that rowdy winds blow a banana down, the expert famer will look at it closely and support it till its mature. Take a walk and see nature at work.

To cut a banana with an axe is a taboo. Use a panga. Let a man cut for you- a woman may hurt herself in the longrun. It also needs an input of strength that it may not fall to split some precious bananas. Men have that. 

It does not end with eating and going to the bushes. Cows are served the stem with a limited condition that too much of it is bad. The leaves are made into zingata for carrying water and firewood on their heads. The buds that get removed to hasten maturity are used in making lids for jericans. Dried leaves can be good mulching materials but importantly they acted as our mattress on the floor- sleep used to come in triplets.

And when a visitor is served with the precious plate, you are a daughter of soil. Long live you. May you sire daughters that will do same in a foreign land. 

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