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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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Joy cometh in the evening

Mirembe! Mirembe sana! Ngurindi mpaka ndakuruha sana. Gariki? Nondi inzira indambi Musakuru. Pole korogendo. I came early here. Quite early and I have been walking around like a mad man. Was wondering what people would say, arechi murogori wavo nagota, nakuba kivi. I laughed. He told a guy nearby that I was the expected visitor. The guy looked at me and say I was good. He used to go to Kisumu and back on bicycle.

Shivering, cold wind blowing, we took for home on a motorbike. Mzee Ogova had come to the town centre with a bike and had I arrived early we would have merrily cycled home together. It was muddy and darkness was approaching. An old man, two years to eighty was not to be in cold when he could avoid.

'People hear about Kitale and think that we all came to a single village on migration. That is how we cut it short in talks. When you come over it's a long journey. Nangili is far from Kitale and Kamoiywo, the village we were heading to quite far from Nangili. Had he just told me to get to Nangili and later Kamoiywo I'd have failed the day. Who would have been my host?

Mukere ayanzi kokorora, ichai nareta na mazi mashyu nigava mwibafu. Ndamanya ninzisambasamba rigari, ninzikura rogeri rwosi rwu mbasu, vukindu vwari vwidikii mkegodo vutura na kari engolo ya nzari nayo nikama. Vwaha amayenyaa kumara kwisinga vwangu nanyoye tuzi tushyu? Kari niva urindwanji musafari si muwenya kwanguhiza.

We thereafter chatted long, how people were eating maize in Evorogori. Maduma vadidimbaa. It was also raining equally much. He said how in his youthful days he would cycle long in Maragoli villages finding out what he had in his book. He said how hungry he would go, how broke he was. But now he was settled in admirably quiet environment with cows and hens. We ate a hen!

Kuramoroma manyingi mugamba, he said. And I was ushered to a netted bed, cosy. Out, the moon shone bright amidst the stars. Sleep took me.

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