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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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THE RULE OF THE JUNGLE

The Acholi speak of a narrative that saw the clever Hare killed by his sword. Let me plagiarize it.
Once upon a time there was great hunger than what Turkana’s experienced in 2016 and Oromo’s in 1980’s. The whole of their land was scorched by the sun as it does on Chalbi desert. No grass decayed and no cloud dared gather. The sun reflected its light back and the moon got a generous glimpse in the cold night. The Hare and Hyena had gone through worse before and this would determine their trust, love and selflessness.

You already know what happened. Something happened that made them enemies. But if that was the mentality of every story teller and listener, no politician would be allowed to the podium. So, maintain your ass on the mat and listen. Hare reared livestock and Hyena farmed crops. They practiced batter trade. The children of Hyena knew no home- they belonged everywhere. 

One day Hyena borrowed more from Hare than he could pay. To pay, Hyena signed the due date by pawing on the fattest bull. The mark was huge for it cut in the flesh. He would have paid for his debt before the injury on the bull was healed. Hare grew impatient with time. It was as if Hare had determined eternity to his debt. He took a few things from Hyena’s room that would make him pay quick. A cooking stick, a lamp oil and a frying pan were Hyena’s golden possessions. To avoid shame, Hyena ran to ask for his belongings and promised to pay. This did not threaten their friendship.

The children from the two families listened to the above tell from their parents who narrated it in turns. They dreamt of their parents as owners of livestock and great farmers. Here was a generation that tasted no oxalis leaves and saw no sheep. They wondered if what their parents spoke of really existed. At the end of the story, Hare spoke of how he would leave the land to search for food in a faraway land. Hare would take care of all the children.

Hyena took seasons till a stone was buried. He lives no more, they wept. Hare asked the afflicted children to stay behind as she went to search for food too. Children knew what his fate would be and instead of wishing him luck, they wished him easy death. I can’t see my children die, his heart thumped.

So it was that Hare came across bounty vegetables and meat not a far distance from home. No one came after some time. Hare was impatient to carry it home. His reception was historical. It was during feasting and recuperating that Hyena stormed home only to see the empty basket.  TO WHOM THE FOOD BELONGED? Hare. No, Hyena! The struggle ensued. It was the village chief that was challenged on the basic laws of the land. ‘ if something is left unsupervised, Mr. Chief, don’t we say it belongs to the person who found it?’ Hare defended himself. It was mine, I had gone to the bush for a call, cried Hyena.

It was not until Hyena found Hare’s child playing outside his compound as before that he decided to challenge his friend. He had found unguarded property! Had he not? And to make Hare more hurt, and him satisfied, he stew it. 

That is when humans started hunting hares. Till then no human had eaten any meat.

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