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. ...

By inter salutations we could solve the Oral Genealogy dilemma as quick

Greetings Family,

Today I bumped into some interesting finding that I use the photoshop above to illustrate. I hope it will keep you interested in knowing more.

When we were young, there at home, I used to hear my father, who was very fond of the late Hezekiah Kisia, call him baba. Because my grandfather died when I was very young, it was strenuous to draw this father of my father in my mind. I would grow up and my curiosity had me visit Kisia only to find he 'was not that old to be my father's 'father.'

I came later to learn about clan relationships and it dawned on me well what it all meant. Kisia was my 'grandfather'. That was before I met his son (in the picture, Mudengani) and realized he was my 'father'.

Today as I visited Mr. Keya (in the picture) at Sabatia in Kigugura village, he asked me how his 'father' was doing. Which father?  Then he explained that he called my father 'his father'. Ha! How old are you Mr. keya? 78, he said. You and I are brothers? Yes. Yes. Yes! And I am 28, Lung'afa (in the picture).

He went on to confirm that Hezekiah Kisia was his grandfather. People of the same age set. Ha! There is a brother to Hezekiah, Mr. Zaphat Mutevane, 72 years old now. When they are together, the two, though young by six years, Keya calls Zaphat  grandfather.

And Mr. Keya has children. The elder son, Limanye (in the picture) represents them. Born '67. Lung'afa's 'son'. Mudengani's 'grandson'. And Limanye has a son called Stanley Chahare. And Stanley Chahare could be doing things out here. Making Stanley Chahare the 'grandson' of Lung'afa, the great grandson of Mudengani and the great great grandson of Mutevane.

Looking at the family genealogy therefore, could we be almost hitting the bull's eye by this realization? It is part of the Genealogy questions to say how you refer to so and so. Vubaba, vudada (guga), mwana or mwisukuru. And by that we may not expect some families to give similar number of ancestor names. Due to the dynamics of 'being begotten', a man who can remember only four of his ancestor would be 'joining' another line of ancestry that takes us to the founder of the clan. So that we do not demand 'long lineages' from people who can remember a few. Rather people who could be 'stems'.

To avoid confusion, let us look at the grandfather of Hezekiah Kisia. His name was Mudengani. The grandfather of Albert Lung'afa (Lung'afa's 'father') is Isagi. While the grandfather of Keya is called Isadia. These three people, not far in age from each other, could be representing the confusing dynamics now which then could have been simple interpretation of ones father, children and grandchildren in not far homesteads. Such that the 'salutation' has not died. And also, the further back the little the families and people, we could be very close to solving the Genealogy question.

Comments