Skip to main content

Featured

Posted by

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
Post a Comment
Read more
Posted by

Izava Walk: Trees and their uses

Rikindu is for blessings, a plant that keeps off evil in a home. People love to plant it by the compound. It is a beautiful palm plant.
Musunzu, Muchindori and Mwanzu are largely shade trees.
Museno has rough leaves that a carpenter needed no sandpaper to soften axe/jembe rods.
Rineke is used among other things to perform cleansing where things went wrong and also press on swells when it is held hot.
Kitate is a strong plant that is used to make walking sticks for the ageing.
Irundu is a hard bush like growing that is used to make baskets. A toothbrush can easily be gotten from it.
Itiri is for medicine when a cow's udder is infected. It is intended to bring good when somebody has part of it with him. A leaf or bark.
Rushiora/Luvinu is a hardwood plant that Mulogoli harbours many believes on it. It is in fact the important of trees. It is what a father uses to place where a son shall build. It is what kids are practiced walking with so as not to crawl for long. It is what a man can desperately strike by the door to chase away a wife.
Riparapandi, ripera and Mukado are famous fruit trees. Our grandmother loved her grandchildren so much that she cut the trees for firewood. For she did not see us risk climbing up. Now she happily lives in a bare homestead.
Mdondo, the dark twigged plant is secondly key to customs. The tapped vurimbu is used among other uses to set traps. It's the plant that when kids are circumcised get midigiru from. And with them they cheerfully sing, nindio kwarange!
Kitiezo is a bushy small leaved plant that made composers do a beautiful song praising it. It is said there once was great drought that no vegetables could be easily sought. People took to it.
Kikuma is a thorned quinine smelling tree largely applied to medicine. Its bark is said to cure climatic diseases cooked and mixed with others.
Kemenenwa is food to goats and good for making hedges. It serves best as fuel. The seeds or fruits are good for a hungry grazer. It is sweet and fig like while ripe. The problem is that it lacks flesh. People dislike it near houses due to chameleons that camouflage on it. Otherwise its flowers are beautiful.
Indanyi is another medicinal plant.
Itiri is a climber plant and served best for rope.
Kifunya Vugundu got its name due to the distinct smell of its leaves. It is not a bad aroma anyway.
Engoi Nene is responsible for clotting. The plant is treated as weed.
The weed that kids who love rabbits pick by the road and with a crown like  flower is called Kizana. Holding the flower, this was our song,
Senge Senge Yigurira Boi *3
Then small insects shall be seen getting from the stigma.
Rogoye is of course the famous black jack. It is a quickly denaturing weed anyway.
Kekembiakembia is for muyaga, a climatic infection.
Kigunzanguva is for boils. Applied, it is said the head of the bacteria is attracted to the surface and pressed out. This thorny plant is said to have served in sending away sterile men. Its strong thorn was needled on a man's ass at burial.
Risuza is both a vegetable and medication for the same name of disease.
Rivuvu is a white flowering plant. Get one and it smells great.

Comments

Post a Comment