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Chahilu’s Funeral; Logooli Culture in action

Guuga Chahilu was respectfully laid to rest at his home on Saturday 14th June 2025. Having passed on at Mbale Referral Hospital on 31st May 2025, the two weeks leading to his burial were full of cultural discussions. His passing on is a great loss to the Logooli Language and Culture Family as he was a custodian and informer of Luhya Indigenous Knowledge. An observation as to how the funeral proceeded leads us to revist Logooli traditions amidst modern realities.  One, having left the house alive and now coming back in state, Chahilu was to be taken inside the house, placed muihiilu for a moment and then officially taken out in wait for earth burial. His casket was able to enter the doors. There are cases where the dead would find it difficult to be taken in and then out due to an oversized casket or thin door. A man or a lady of his house who died out of home has to be taken in the house for a last ritual mark. But if the person had died inside, he or she would not be brought bac...
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Laugh and smile in Bantu languages

The post was on Facebook and I followed up at the comments section, catching what other tribes say in relation.

Here I write

Laugh, Smile; Tribe, Country
Hleka, kuncuma; IsiXhosa, SA
Nyenya, tsenga; Setswana, BOTS
Sega, myemyela; Sepedi, SA
Khucheha, khumenya; Samia, KE
Hleka, bonyozena; Tsonga, MOZ
Usea, unwenwela; Venda, SA
Seka, mwentula; Kaonde, ZAM
Seka, mwetamweta; Tonga, ZAM
Hleka, mwayitela; Tsonga, SA
Chekha, mwenya, Bukusu, KE
Seka, mwenyukila; Ngonde, MAL
Ts'eha, hobobothela; Sesotho, LES
Yola, menya; Shindonga, NAM
Huzeha, mwenya; Gisu, UG
Seka, mwenya; Luganda, UG
Seka, mweturira; Chichewa, MAL
Hleka, moyizela; isiZulu, SA
Theka, kweng'a; Kamba, KE
Theka, mweura; Kikuyu, KE
Heka, menyamenya; Thimbukushu, NAM
Twenga, mwenyura; Kirundi, BUR
Seha, menya; Lozi, ZAM
Sheka, mwenya; Runyankore, UG
Yola, memeha; Shiwambo, NAM
Seka, mwentula; Bemba, ZAM
Hleka, bobotheka; isiNdebele, ZAM
Seka, nyemwerera; Shona, ZIM
Tsega, nyenya; Setswana, BOT
Seka, munyamunya; Zigula, TZ
Seka, mwenya; Maragori, KE

This short piece is in observance that 'seka' is dominant. Hl/ch/kh are a few.

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Anzugira Odanga: Koseka(laugh) and kumwenya(smile)

Erick Author: I watch a lot of south African soaps on e-Africa and I'm always amazed at how much I can understand especially languages like Tsipedi and Setswana without reading the English subtitles. We have so many words in common eg ingubo, amazi, ingelosi, inguluve etc etc they even say umunaa where we say umunyaa and kunakana to mean kuganagana.

Vincent Iramuka: Its easy to pick out the Bantu tongues

Lung'afa: Yes. L'logori is near to them than Bukusu, Idakho, Kisa...

Therefore the Murogori that is said to have come from Misri down the Nile a disaster to connect. 😊

Baba Ndanyi: May be there is a link somewhere, sailing by boat from Misri, land in South Africa then naughty ones trying to trace their way back stopping at Lake Inyanza 😆😆😆

Mudengani Kisia: Quite interesting

Peter Kirima: Scrolled through a scientific article few years ago that tested Tutsi DNA samples which clarified the ancient myth that they are associated with the North or horn of Africa (somali) simply due to their physical features. The DNA revealed most rwandese are largely Bantus with only 3% northern. Rwandese language is closer to maragoli than other Luhya dialects. Saniaga too  must have been assimilated to local Bantu tribes. They originally should carry both Nilotic and semetic features and influences , lost their language through inter marriage and must have dispersed at Nubia along river nile, Ethiopia and Uganda.🤔

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