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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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The Maragoli community is passive on LGBTQIA+



A man playing a puppet eagle during a 2022 circumcision ceremony of the Maragoli in Nandi

The Maragoli are not afraid to detest the queer agenda. Neither is it a minority issue locally. It is not known how many Maragolis are secretly queer, whether the community can curse, chastise attempters, disown and banish them to unknown lands. It is not in its power to be combative today.

With a history of suppressed queerness, the queer Maragoli folks today can hardly be silenced as they find brotherhood (and sisterhood and crosshood?) in the secular societies cropping up. The new societies are characterized by suffocative moderation, playing victim, individualism, money and anything that works for the moment. This is a good breeding ground for deviations, secret cultures and more harm than good for the society, reserved for the powers there be.

The limits do matter in Maragoli society. Does it have to be so open that an innocent/curious teen sees (and apes - for humans are good apes) what is happening? No. Here is a situation where grown ups are being deliberate. There is little self respect, as if it is dicriminating to be in order and disorder is freedom. Much as you may not run into a man wearing 'suggestively' on the street, they are flooding social media with insinuations. Sure there, a son is protected from the death blow of the father while the daughter from the teeth of the mother. 

To publicly disagree or defame the queer is not the best way. It is also not the Maragoli way today. It may have been when things that held Maragoli society were still together. To put an eye (two) and an ear (two) while speaking less (one mouth) is the way. Much as it is against the community ethos, minorities today are part of external communities. It is evident that those with nothing to lose would enjoy the mayhem that comes with disagreements and be more intentional in deriving unnecessary lifestyles around. 

As the Maragoli community snowballs in different times, it should not belittle its core, safety to those who have little or nothing to improve themselves by the acquired mass. It is in the core that we can learn how the community approached straight and queerness and how it protected both from the extremes of either; with intention to contribute on healthy sexuality from an indigenous best practice.

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