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The struggle with many a rigid Logooli cultural practices

  The Logooli community is one of the deeply cultured societies – with near everything supposed to have been done as per custom – to allow another custom to follow. One example is that for a mature man (with a child or more) to be buried, there must be a house structure at home. Another is that a boy must be circumcised and nursed in father land. If maternal family decides to, the boy will have a hard time reconnecting with father people - a dent on his masculinity. There were two children who got burnt to death in a house in Nairobi. The single mother had left for night work. Elders were told that one of the children was Logooli. The other, the woman had sired with someone else. The Logooli family wanted to burry their little one and long discussed the do’s and don’ts. Of a man who died childless and the grave was placed as if he had died as a man with children. It should have been dug on the sides, the grave. A real thorn should have been thrust in his buttocks, his name go...
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Positioning a wife's grave among the Logooli

 


There arose today a preliminary debate on positioning the grave of the wife. The Logooli Council of Elders would then quickly sit to start their meeting, leaving that aside. But I had already picked one or two which in their continuing cultural discussions might get clearer. 

An ideal traditional house of Logooli faces upper part (iluhya) of the ridge. Two overlooking ridges have backdoors (viandaangu) facing each other.  The ridges meet at valley bottoms (muvivaanda).

At death, burial customs happen at the field (Mukiguuti), a common grass field in front (hamugizi) of the house. 

Entrance to a compound is via a gate (ikilivwa) towards main door. The right side (imuluungi) at entering is masculine while the left (imumosi) is feminine. That is why a sitting/living (ihiilu) room is placed on the right and a bedroom (ivulili) on the left in house construction. 

Any new visitor, in case of ‘normal’ death in the compound, would know which sex died. A male’s grave would heap on the right while a female’s heap on the left. What also helped in positioning the graves was the main pillar of the house (itiilu), demarcating right and left sides.

In change, husband (musaaza) and wife (mukali) started being buried on the same side of the compound – the right side from ikilivwa. Why so did not come out clear today but one elder said the left and right positioning were taking up too much compound space unlike having them one side. 

Both graves on the right side from Ikilivwa, the discussion was on what side was the wife or husband going to be? Left or right? Noting that in some places Ivulogooli the dead are buried with the head West (so as the deceased faces East, in resurrection) while others the head South (so that the diseased faces North, in homeland).


Logooli Council of Elders meeting at Mbale municipal grounds - 8th October 2024

If it is the husband who died and the wife is still to eat more ugali (uvuchima), when her time comes, one elder maintained she should be on the right of the male while another insisted on the left. 

Scenario A. The one who said the wife should be on the right side of the husband maintained that the home belonged to the man, he is the one who built it, he is the one to guard it while in spirit. The woman is a new comer, she cannot come between the man and his estate.

Scenario B. The one who said the wife should be on the left side of the husband (that is between the house and him). This is to show protection, the husband keeping the wife and home safe from external enemies who might enter the home. The sun has to first shine on the man before the woman, another asserted. Graves, similar to marital bed, the wife would be held on the left, her head a little removed from the husbands, to maintain their love in spirit world. 

What happens in your location? Both sides asked each other. Perhaps in the next meeting an agenda on the same to expound better will put us in the know. 

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