Sudi wa Namachanja Today we sojourn to the land of Ebukhone... Omukhone – Omwalie Omusilambongo, Owambukha Njoya Khumufunje wakwa engelekha khuluusi [Omukhone express allegiance to Bamwalie, does not dine on antelope meat, he came to current Bukusuland by making a rope bridge....and landed to the other side on a thread]. We visit the homestead of Otunga, a successful Omukhone with vast crops and unnumbered livestock. There is an emotionally disturbed barren wife. It is on a cold rainy when the barren wife of Otunga heads to junk heap to throw ashes. She notices a shivering boy, naked and destitute. Pity engulfs her and she quickly relays the news to Otunga who joyfully agrees to adopt the son as his own. The pity looking was Ekobi, son of Lusaala (Omutura). Running away from hunger, he lands in Wakoko’s territory in Otunga’s lukoba. Dearly loved, Ekobi grows to be quick and agile. He was a superb herder, helping in the fields and chasing birds that might destroy crops. He lighten...

  Remember the joke: Eat everything you want.... and if anybody asks, eat them too.. Well, we may think what goes down the throat is for enjoyment, self-fulfillment or appeasing the body. Until a few decades ago, that might have been true. Researchers at world’s finest such as Duke’s University have started human testing on epigenetics. Without making it a rough-ride chemistry class, the term simply means our lifestyles and surrounding changes the way our genes are expressed. future generation Inheritance is weird. Think of genes as a computer. New these genes have tags that affect how genes function...their software, controlling how they are expressed. Basically what and how to eat, drink, smoke, excise, treat stress gets altered by the genes. All these change our life expectancy (in 5-mins you can now your life expectancy here  https://apps.bluezones.com/en/vitality/background   ). It means how you treat your body does not end with you, at least in light of the pri...

  Its Alien to Bukusu Pronunciation Bukusu Pronunciation If you are an  Omuyemba , Omukhwami, Omuyiitu, Omutukwiika, Omubuya Omukabo, Omuchemayi, Omusang’alo or Omubachangi, then you, historically, are entitled with keeping the customs and traditions of the Bukusu Community. From this lineage, there’ve arisen powerful culture custodians, public comforters and public speakers that have readily defended the ways and customs and carefully passing them down to generations. And yet, it is suicidal to hear some clan members and Bukusu in general, mutilate the language that means so dear to the community. Today, the author, Omuyitu by Clan rises to condemn the use of ‘V’ in modern Lubukusu pronunciation. It is foreign, uncelebrated, and unwelcome. It misleads the principles of pronunciation of the Lubukusu language. For instance; ‘Baalamu’ (We are fine) is an acceptable version but not ‘Vaalamu’. Likewise, ‘Boosi’ (all of them) is acceptable and not Voosi. Sa...

  Part II: Mango Slains Yabebe Mango Reforms Bukusu Circumcision Mango, the great grandson of Mukutukutu and self-invited visitor to Yabebe’s liar, was armed and ready to take out the beast. His eyes had now accustomed to the darkness. Strange sounds outside the cave startled Mango, and he automatically tightened his grip on his embalu - the thin but razor-sharp line between his life and death. On seeing the log, the dragon-snake made a cautious inspection-trip round the cave and glided its way into the cave – a naked brave man who had paid a visit to the flaming heart of hell. It curved its enormous body as its custom and laid its head on the log –oblivious of an unexpected visitor and in line with Mango’s calculations. The young man gathered all his energies (in what Chinese Shaolin Temple students refer to as chi) and landed a deafening blow to the lazily relaxing beast. He had made no errors in his plans. The over-sharpened blade sliced deeply, and with a tremendous noise, the ...

  Mango against the mighty Yabebe Bravity at the Time of Need Part I: Fearless in the face of the Ravaging Beast A simple internet search, informs of over 5,000 serpent stories and myths around the world. From the multi-headed serpent king (Mucalinda) of the Angkor of Cambodia, the Dahn-gbi snake of the Dahomeyans of North Africa and Nighoggr Snake-dragon of the Greek. Talk of Nehushtan healer-snake made by Moses (Numbers 21:8) and Wadjet, the Egyptian serpent: Poloz, giant snake in Ural of Siberia, and to Shesha dragon in Hindu. There is Oshunmare mighty serpent of Yoruba, the deadly Betsileo of Madagascar, Y amakachi  monstrous snake among the Japanese and  Ningizzida in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Or read about the Arkaroo in Aboriginal Australian folklore, a great snake that sucked a whole Lake Forme dry! What the internet and our history books fail to detail us is that of a giant snake in Bukusu folklore. Take a look at awe-inspiring narration overshadowed by Banto-phobic...

  A rifle successively exploded; the deafening cracking split through the quiet dawn in the fort of Lumboka. The Western side had been breached. Two well-aimed shots went through the heart of one warrior manning the fort. For few moments, there fell strange silence. The stricken son of soil courageously fell on his knees holding onto his spear, succumbing to the mighty force drifting into eternal darkness.  A deep wail followed... “The enemy approaches!!” ... it was war time!! Warriors took their position. Wakoli tucking his beloved rifle and lichabe (elder’s robe) emerged from wamwalo (ante-room) making way for the battleground. “Let’s get this done already!!” He shouted his fellow tribesmen. Little did Wakoli’s military intelligence think of a more sober reinforcement. Sir Fredrick Jackson had deployed 150 Sudanese soldiers and 900 volunteer fighters from Buganda Kingdom.  Alongside, there was 200 Wakwabi (Uasin Gishu Masai) and other warriors from the fort of Mumia in ...

  Sweat, Bloody Spears and Smell of Gun Powder ....After the fall of British Charted Company, Wakoli khwa Mukisu, a Spy and Military genius organizes BaBukusu for war at Fort of Lumboka in 1895. But by 1894, the Bukusu only had crude weapons and only about 50 to 60 (traded/stolen) revolvers while Sir Fredrick Jackson had called reinforcement; 150 Sudanese solders, 900 Waganda volunteers, 200 Masai warriors and many Wanga soldiers. A heavy cloud was gathering, but the sons of Bukusu would not accept to go down easily.... Mukisu was born in about 1866 of Mukisu Lufwalula, an Omuyemba Mukhayama. 22 years later, in 1888, Wakoli is circumcised under Basawa Sikala age set. Oral tradition narration puts young Wakoli as uncharacteristic of a strong leader; loving dance parties and a charming Casanova. Nevertheless, after initiation into adulthood, Wakoli changed; resented Whiteman invasion, became a strongly willed, visionary warrior. From the prophesy of Mutonyi wa Nabukelembe, the commun...

  ....Late into the night, the warriors would chant songs and dance with craze. They would smoke bhang rolls, naturally dried by the sun and rolled on thighs of exotic tribeswomen. Early before dawn, before the first light, they’d arise... by their swords, the enemy shall fall... Forged on the plains and valleys of Esengeli were rare skills of blacksmithery. From Bamwaya, Bang’ale, Bamuyonga, Baafu, Bakolati and Baleyi clans, emerged steadfast elite ironmongers with extreme talent in forging weapons, cultivation tools and wearables from iron, copper and brass among other metals. Esengeli (land of iron slag) was where the community revived the iron trade after Ethiopians drove them out of Lake of Nabibia region (L.Turkana). Some of the wearables, still held by community veterans today, included echucheli (copper earing), bichenje (ankle bells), sikhabala (non-iron waist strap), kumukasa (copper bracelet),   kumunyuli (anvils), and birere (brass armlet) among others. Apart ...