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Traditional Wakuria Craftmanship

Before the arrival of western technology Wakuria had invented various types of tools and weapons that enabled them to survive. They had craftmen in Ironsmith (Ubhuturi), Weaving (Ubhuruki), Carpentry (Ubhubhachi), Pottery (Ubhubhumbi). Leathery (Ubhuigusi). The Kuria names of craftmen are Abharuki (Weavers), Abhaturi (Ironsmith), Abhabhachi (Carpenters), Abhabhumbi (Potters) and Abhaigusi (Leathery). Some of the tools and gadgets made by each group is listed below:

Iron tools made by the Abhaturi (Ironsmith)

English Name -Kuria Name -Application of the too
1 Knives -Egekebhi, Enkobhero -Cutting tool, harvesting mille
2 Matchet -Umuhio, Omohoro -Cutting tree and clearing bush
3 Hunting Knives -Ichisinge -Weapons
4 Sword -Umuchonge -Weapons
5 Spear -Iritimo -Weapons
6 Hoe -Ekebhagho -Farming implement
7 Small hoes -Ekebhai -Weeding hoe
8 Hammer -Ekeresa -For Carpentry
9 Axe -Igisire -Choping firework and trees
10 Cowbell -Entongori -For cattle
11 Jingle bell -Ibhituriani, Ibhibhiria, Amagoro -For cattle and goats
12 Shackles -Ibhirang’ani -Used to harness mad people
13 Arrow heads -Ibhisimo -Weapons
14 Chisel -Embacho -Carpenter tool
15 Weaving needle -Isintake -Weaving baskets
Wooden Tools made by Abhabhachi (Carpenters)


English Name -Kuria Name -Application of the tool

1 Stool -Igitumbe -Used as chair
2 Bed -Obhoree -Sleeping
3 Pistel -Ihuri -Thrashing millet, Cassava
4 Wooden bowl -Igitubha -Utensils
5 Wooden hoe -Inkuro -Weeding and digging
6 Bows -Obhota -Weapon
7 Arrows -Imigwi -Weapon
8 High wooden shoes -Imityambwi -Dancing shoes for sururu


Straw tools and vessels made by Abharuki (Weavers)

English Name -Kuria Name -Application of the tool

1 Basket -Egetonga, -Storing flour
2 Harvesting Basket -Irikanga -Harvesting Millet
3 Food serving basket -Ekehe, Ekegaro -Utensils
4 Straw door shutter -Egesaku -Door shutte
5 Granary -Iritara -Store grain
6 Straw ornaments -Obhogeka -Worn by girls and ladies
7 Guard container -Ekerandi, Egesencho Serving water, Milk
8 Drinking straw -Orokore Beer -drinking straw

Leather products made by Abhaigusi (Leathery)

English Name -Kuria Name -Application of the tool

1 Cow hide Iriho- Engebho Drying floor- bedding
2 Goat/culf skin -Egesero -Wearing as clothing
3 Decorated cow/goat skin -Engemaita, Embotora -Worn by ladies during ceremonies
4 Treated goat skin -Igisiriti -Worn by ladies and girls
5 Shredded skin -Amacharya -Worn by boys during initiation
6 Thong -Urukini, irichi -To tie cows, fireword
7 Shield -Ingubha -War gear
8 Hood, Crown -Ekondo -War gear (outfit)


Pottery products made by Abhabhumbi (Potters)

English Name -Kuria Name -Application of the tool

1 Water pot -Esengo ya Amanche -Water storage
2 Milk pot -Ekenyongo -Milk storage
3 Huge Ugali pot -Inyakaruga -Cooking Ugali
4 Smoking pipe -Ighikwabhe -Tobacco smoking
5 Flour pot -Enyongo ya bhose -Flour pot
6 Vegetable pot -Iririghira -Cooking pot

In the next issue we will explore the clan structure of the Wakuria.

Happy Reading.

KURIA NAMES DERIVED FROM EVENTS AND VARIOUS CONDITIONS

Kuria people also name their children according to an event which took place during the birth of a child. Some of the events are natural occurrences such as Earthquake ( Kirigiti), Lightning (Nkobha), Rains( Wambura/Nyambura), Famine (Wanchara), Harvest (Magesa/Mogesi). Floods(Nyamanche). The list is not exhaustive.
The following list is some of the Kuria names and their literal meaning. Note that all names have deep spiritual relevance and meaning and can be interpreted differently according to circumstances and objectives as discussed earlier. This is a sample list, Wakuria have many more names than we what we always expect. It is not Chachas and Mwitas only!

Kuria names derived animals or birds

Nyamburi – Goat
Nyang’ombe – Cow
Gaini – Bull
Nyangoko/Magoko –Chicken
Wangwe – Leopard
Wandui – Lion
Nyanswi – Fish
Tyenyi – Animal
Machage – Zebra
Nchoka/Waichoka - Snake
Nguti- Dove
Sariro - Eagle
Mang’era – Buffalo
Nyanchugu – Elephant
Wankuru – Tortoise
Kehengu – Rock rabbit
Ngocho – Parrot
Ng’wena – Crocodile
Magige – Locust
Kinyunyi – Bird

Names after action or fortune.
Mokami – Milkman
Motegandi/ Mohagachi – Builder
Murimi – Farmer
Nyantahe – From Container
Muya- Beauty
Mohoni – Salesman
Motongori – First Harvester
Mtundi – Food provider
Matinde- Land tiler
Waitara- Granary
Mataro/ Machera/Mogendi –Traveller
Moseti – Hunter
Mbusiro – Seeding grain

Names after clans/tribes

Mwikabhe/Ikwabhe - Maasai
Mtatiro – Tatoga
Mogaya – Luo
Mgusuhi – Kisii
Nyabasi – From Nyabasi
Mtimbaru – From Butimbaru

Mystical/Abstract Names
Nyanokwe – God
Wainani – Jinni
Mgosi – From North
Wanyancha – From West/Lake
Mirumbe - Mist/Fog
Sabure – god of the Wanchari
Melengali- Sunlight
Nchota/Nsato – Mystical snake
Matiko/Butiko – Night
Ryoba/Rioba – Sun

The next article will look at Wakuria tools and weapons. Happy reading!

Kuria names

First borns:(Abatangi)
Firstborns are important to every family hence their names must correspond to the greetings the mother or father would be greeted. Once one has a child he/she will be greeted by the name of his son or daughter. Wakuria have six names for firstborns. Chacha, Marwa and Mwita for boys and Bhoke, Robi and Gati for girls. If the first born is a boy, one of the three names Chacha, Mwita or Marwa is selected. The father now will be greeted ISACHACHA, ISAMWITA OR ISAMARWA. The mother will be greeted NYAMWITA, NYACHACHA OR NYAMWARA. If the first born is a girl the names available are Bhoke, Robi, Gati and greetings will be prefixed ISA OR NYA to the respective name. You will note that we don’t have greetings like nyaryoba, isamatinde because these are not names for firstborns. Note that a Kuria will be greeted by the name of the firstborn. When one get grandchildren then the greeting will change to nyakorochacha or nyakororobi, isakoromwita. The greetings are changed by the first born grandchildren names. If one was greeted isachacha and gets a first born grandchild called Robi his greeting will change from Isachacha to ISAKOROROBI.


Ancestor names (ichidonko)
Kuria also name their children after the names of the ancestors(Abhakoro). Such naming will occur if the wish of the dead grandfather or mother requested to be named a boy or girl. That is why we have mwita for both girls and boys. Some for sake of love one would like to name the ancestors as a sign that the ancestor has been reborn. A child can have two names one for obhotangi and another for endoko. My son is Chacha because he is a first born and he is callend Nyangoko a name after my grandfather. The other cause of naming ancestors will result when the child is sick or misfortunes come to a family and they seek omogabho/omoraguli to find out the problem. The omoraguli will advise to name a child an ancestor whose spirits have been troubled by the family. When naming the child, the family will be required to sacrifice (kumwensa) a goat or a cow depending on the wish of the spirits and the magnitude of the problem. Similarly names like Nyamohanga, Ryoba, Magaigwa, Nsato, Sabure, Wankuru, Ng’oina, Wanchoka, Mwikwabhe are named after the spirits. That is why when Kurias were baptized their native names were rejected because they were assumed to be associated with the spirits ( Evil spirits?).



In the next issue will explore names associated with EVENTS such names as Wanchara, Waisiko, Nkobha, Wambura etc.

WANCHARI SAROS FROM YEAR 1856 TO 2008

Morning ploughing at Bunchari

The Wakuria are composed of clans and subclans and down to families. All clans have established a system that group all people of the same age by the circumsion ritual. The age groups are called SAROs. In the last issue we discussed the importance of the SAROs and their role in the Wakuria culture. Wanchari are one of the Kuria clans. They are located south of Sirari (Isibania) neighbouring with the Wakira on the north east and Wagumbe on the north, Watimbaru on the South and Luo on the west. Their land(Kyaro)is called Bunchari. Initially Wanchari lived on a hill called Susuni and later spread to Mwema. Susuni is their sacred hill where the Wanchari god (Sabure) reside. All circumsion ceremonies and rituals are conducted at Susuni where the Mosali also live.

Since Wanchari settled at Susuni they have conducted 31 saros. By countingthe number of saros and time interval between each saro and consulting elders who are knowledgable on the matter, the first remembered saro was done in 1856 and it was named Kehanga.

The list below show remembered (verbally recorded) saros of the Wanchari. The calculation is based on approx. 4 years period between one saro and the other.

SARO YEAR
31 Mesongo 2008
30 Nginaro 2004
29 Ngiborya2000
28 Gichira 1996
27 Romole II1992
26 Romole I1988
25 Kehocha II1984
24 Kehocha I1980
23 Ngirabi II1976
22 Ngirabi I1972
21 Getang'osa II1968
20 Getang'osa I1964
19 Kehanga II1959
18 Kehanga I1954
17 Gitira 1949
16 Ngeresa 1944
15 Kenya 1938
14 Bhirisi 1932
13 Keha 1928
12 Kalamu 1922
11 Nyisandeko1916
10 Mesongo 1910
9 Nginaro 1904
8 Romole 1898
7 Kehocha 1892
6 Ngirabi 1886
5 Gichira 1880
4 Ngiborya1874
3 Getang'osa1868
2 Mahanga 1862
1 Kehanga 1856

In the next issue we will discuss how Wakuria name their newbrns (Children)

WAKURIA SAROS (CIRCUMCISION/INITIATION)

Nyaigena at Bunchari

Change from childhood to adulthood is an important Kuria ritual which transform individual to another stage of life. The change known as SARO is a passage to adulthood. Every boy or girl must pass through saro to be recognised as an adult otherwise he is Mulisya or Mosagane.

When one is circumcised he/she  is placed into an age-set ( ESARO). It is not the purpose of this issue to describe the circumcision process but to emphasise the importance of the ritual. In Kuria society one is recognised by the age set group. All people circumcised at the same time are given an age set (SARO).  When a girl is married her age set group is changed to that of the husband if their SARO are different. No one is allowed to marry children of same SAROs, All ceremonies are done on the basis of SARO or AMAKORA. One will not be allowed to marry or married if he has not gone through circumcision. In modern times boys are circumcised in hospitals and it is slowly being accepted but looked down as an inferior process. A real mkuria should face a mosali get circumcised without a wink.

Wachari conduct the SARO season every four years.

In the next issue I will list the SAROs of the Wanchari since the colonial times.

Happy reading.

Wakuria Generations (Amakora)

Dear Readers

Wakuria have developed a generation system which place every individual in a generation group.  There are two sets of generations

The first set is called Monyasae and the other is Monyachuma.

The Monyasae has a four circle generations as follows:

Abasae-------Abanyamburiti------Abagamnyeri-------Abamaina

The Monyachuma has also four circle generations as follows:

Abachuma------Abangorongoro------Abagini-------Abanyangi

The generations identifies an individual in the kuria society. For example a child of a Mosae from the monyasae generation circle will be a munyamburiti and will give forth to Omogamunyeri.  No one is allowed to marry a child of the same generation.  One generation circle is considered to last 25 years.  A complete generation circle is hundred years. By Knowing your  generation you can easily calculate the age of your parents and grand parents.  In my case I am a mugamunyeri and my father is a Mnyamburiti and my son is Omomaina.

By using the generation system you can even know when a major event took place by associating the event and those who witnessed the event if their generation is known eg Uhuru, Second World War etc.

Hope some of you will ask their parents to know their generations.

Comments on the Wakuria generations are invited.

Next issue we will discuss the Saros of the Wanchari ( Circumcision Generations)

 

Musa Mwita