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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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Maragori elders; 3-4 generations ago.

From Archives.

The picture you are seeing is a rare one, the old most memory of what our forefathers looked like. If we shall come across others, it will be good for us. And our study.

On the left is musakuru muGihayo by the name Mudechi and on the right, his niece, mukana muSaniaga called Kasidi. The picture could have been taken in late 40's or early 50's.

Mudechi had a sister who was mother to one among others, Mahasi Mbali of Gidagadi, Gisambai. He often visited them, his home said to be at Lunyerere. Likewise visits from Gisambai to Lunyerere happened.

And Mudechi would come early at morning from Lunyerere, with a skin bag called rimori. When others woke up and saw it ku mugutu, they knew koza was around and at the farm. Agesaa voro.

They are all putting on zisuka. Inside, Kasidi would be wearing kevoya. I do not know what Mudechi would be wearing. In their hands are walking sticks. Mudechi is holding ruvivi, a forked one. It would help him rake off twigs on the road, rubbish at farm or pluck him guavas and avocado on the roadsides as he walked from Lunyerere to Gisambai and back. Kasidi, with her, is mudigiru. A normal walking stick which would be improvised to be hollow (from kidundu) and carry roseke inside. Endede would bend badly roseke. It were better the straw remained straight and undisturbed from a beer festival to another. The hollow mudigiru would be called museng'eswa too.

Kasidi met a painful death when she developed breast cancer and the ruminant dissection at upcoming Kaimosi hospital for purposes of direct drug application sooner helped not and she in odour met her death with set wishes. To be wrapped as muhumo gwa mage while dead. Rise and visara viu rusiora would all round be put on her and fastened by ropes. Such mummified, she would be buried. But again shallow were the graves and body eaters still roamed.

And a grave, prior to her life and death, would be hardly dug. Rihaya, a crooked strong piece of wood, probably a branch because the tree (muhaya), makes strong wood, was the main hoe of the time.

All at rest, that is only a short story of our dear fore fathers who had little boundaries of association as we try to think but culturally agreed norms of do's and don'ts. In such a case, Mudechi would win a spouse for Kasidi in his walking. And if the spouse came from a family where land was little, he would call them to occupy some of his land depending on his children and size of land too. Among other things that lead to migrations, movements and general mobility of a human.

May they rest, we adore them.

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