Skip to main content

Featured

Luanda Reggae Defenders - what is your long term agenda?

Luanda Reggae Defenders is a now a popular movement with roots in Vihiga and border Siaya and Kakamega counties Attention is brought to the manner and conduct the movement has gained fame and followers, mainly the Youths. The movement capitalizes on funerals. With a poor culture of putting the dead to rest, the Reggae Defenders have taken it by storm and rebranded the infamous ‘Disco Matanga’ – disco at funeral. Reggae Defenders on move. Pic: Charles Rankings: Facebook They mobilize quickly on the day the dead will be discharged from the mortuary. They have this huge old school sound system that is over buzzing to no clear reggae song - that they hire a pickup to carry - and it has a young DJ mainly standing there than mixing anything. Often, against the rules, the casket is grabbed from a hearse vehicle and tied to a motorbike. There it will be swayed and jerk breaked between other motorbikes on the narrow roads. That, is, how a fellow soldier, often a young dead, is mourned. ...

Marriage between Saniagas?

Mbeye nindi riteva,
If not permitted please advice me to delete.

A few years ago I happened to 'fall in love' with a Musaniaga man without knowing we were clan-mates.
When we found out, we tried finding out the permissiability of such a union but we were given a big no.
Some wazees told us only bigger clans like Vamavi can inter-marry.

How true is that?

What was the guiding principle behind our ancestors deciding to ban clan intermarriage? Other communities marry their clan mates, the blood relation is very distant to be considered incest.
All Maragoli clans ni vaana va Murogoori and his wife,technically we are all "one blood."

Aren't there any other reasons why such marriages were disallowed?

Lung'afa: Awesome question. Hapo nyuma when Saniagas had started having doors, some married! This I was told by Vodoti. But it started being an embarrassment and elders vehemently refused the house thing among Saniagas. It was creating a door for obscenity and division, kifwavi. 

We have a saying that 'masahi gashimbi gahuliizanaa vwangu' no wonder you were 'serious in love', having so much in common, a statement that is agreed to by 'eng'ombe nigaduu irizaa ku gaavo.'
It saddens to change a lover to a friend because of clan stuffs and that is why among the very fist questions before, 'Do you love me?' should be 'What is your clan?' 

Marriage to the fifth generation from maternal family is allowed and seventh generation on paternal side has no  problem..that is why super cattle crossing goes to the seventh. But here we would still apply the elders' whip. I would not come to your wedding with some Karani here just because the tenth ancestor relate. Laughter.

This is really insightful Lung'afa.
What about other clans like Vamavi,is it true that they intermarry?

Lung'afa: Vamavi is NOT a clan. When Mavi died, equal to Musaari, Mukizungu and Mukirima, they had 'houses'. You would hear of Vanondi, Vamuku, Vang'ang'a and etc among Mavi. Masero, Vasachi, Migangu are Vakirima and etc. So they marry such. And down there, on Masero for instance, the level of Saniaga here, there are 'sub-houses' too but they cannot marry! A saniaga marrying another is like Vasweta intermarrying cause they are 'not related'. They are as strong a clan yet with doors and sub-doors among them.

Comments