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The Kamnara of Sakwa are making ground to build for future generations

Greetings from the Kamnara of Sakwa! The Kamnara people of Sakwa on 27th December 2024 gathered at Village Park, Ajigo (near Bondo). Hosted by Kwaka Joseph, they hearkened to the consultative forum call, arriving in good numbers and early enough for a successful day. The gathering was chaired by Mr. Nying’ro James Onyango, a former (retired) assistant commissioner of Police. The introductions were excellent. The genealogies were mentioned in reverence, lengthy ones applauded. And courtesy of Enos Oyaya’s book, “Kamnara my people”, anyone who would need help had the documentation. Oyaya had launched the Kamnara book on 30th December 2022 at his home in Kamnara Mwalo, an event that gathered Vakamnara from far and wide. “What can we do that the generations to come will benefit from?” This was the clarion Mr. Kwaka Joseph called on all to fashion their minds to. And issues were raised in the fields of Education, health, agriculture, enterprise, politics and more that the swift dholuo would...

Where are vihinda? Can't we put them back into day to day use?

-: Hello Family. This picture 👆🏾 is saying that we are no longer using vihinda to carry tea to bandas. 

Have we lost vihinda?

-: No, the vihinda are expensive (expe)!! 😎😎😎

-: Avanavi be vihinda vakinavaga?! Saw one near my Aunt's place in Gidagadi. My first time to know vanavaa ku very matured urusi (Napier grass)

-Lung'afa: It is hard to spot those baskets in homesteads nowadays. 

Ingungi I believe was the small one. Kihinda the big one? 

The one smeared in with cowdung called? 

The one in tatters, worn for long also called?

-: Enavodo was the smallest not ingugi

-: Ingungi and kihinda, difference?

-: Ekehe  naho egehe was the smallest, inavodo was bigger

-: Like the one for church offerings? Egehe was used for?

-: If you guys can't weave those baskets, who do you expect to? I wish one of you people can invent a machine that can make those baskets; all you need to do is to rearrange the parts of a normal sewing machine

-: Multipurpose, including as a dish for serving ugali ya wimbi, ekehe could outlive generations and maintain originality

-: Several such basket merchandisers were Saniaga when you fill in the oral genealogy. It was an occupation to make and sell. 

- like majambi. Gageha.

-: There many basket weavers in our neighborhood (jepkoyai) location afew of the weavers are Saniagas

-: Do they still weave? For local market?

-: Avanavi vanava vihindi vakinavanga? Don't intertwain 'be' and 've' in one sentence. In north maragoli we say vihindi and not vihinda. Honga vulahi na Nyasaye ave nive.

-: Good to hear. Kihindi - vihindi?

-: The b was actually an autocorrect error. I thought I intended to write ve vihinda. I thought Vihindi is the name of a place near Chavakali? hehe

-: The sentence should be...  "Avanavi vaanavaanga ivihinda"

-: It is a handcraft.. No simpler ways but use of hands, thats the beauty

-: Ingungi is threequaters of full-sized ikihiinda but bigger than inavodo

-: Na ikishaa/Kihia?

-: Ekehe/inavodo/inguungi/ikihiinda/ekedeera; those are names of various sizes of baskets from the smallest to the largest

-: Just learning there is another called Kisia. 
- Used mainly for kusuma/Kudugira

-: Can't the Saniaga CBO take this up as an IGA?

-: @⁨Corazone⁩

We should. At least one of the Saniaga groups to take up this. 

We lack organized community enterprises. 

Individuals rise and fall, their activities never sustained nor supported. 

If we can agree to be organized then we can collectively achieve lots.

-: Let's promote a Saniaga group to do this, my sister has a big shop in USA for such items and I am sure she would be delighted to have such in her shop, she purchases such artefacts from Maasai market in Nairobi

-: Saniaga can have this in its programs. 

Indigenous Knowledge (and enterprises) is part of Agenda 4. 😁😆. 

@⁨Luvai⁩  hinted of such an enterprise, the late grandma Phoebe Kidiavai leading the women group at Chango. 

- We can rethink about it...

-: I remember mama Phoebe at Chango, I bought some items made from banana 'makora' for a German friend; those were excellent artefacts, that knowledge is lost in favor of the Chinese plastics, poor we!!

-: Their building is still there... Now it houses an activist group. 😊.

-: Patty negotiate for the building or part of it for a library and artefacts center, I can give you the necessary support

-: @⁨Luvai⁩ had suggested that. He must be working on something towards that. 

It would be a superb effort if this comes to pass. A library/artefacts enterprise. 

- I will try to get more about the building.

-: Good, visit the place and assess

-: The membership of Chango Women's Society   has problems with existing tenants b4 entertaining others. But I guess they would welcome proposals that resonate with their constitution. Will keep conversation alive.

-: A proposal will. To see how best. 

And maybe without desiring new tenancy the society itself goes ahead to revive the artefacts enterprise and empower the area. 

We can be worthwhile stem supporters.

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