Luhya People - Culture

Culture

Luhya culture is comparable to most Bantu cultural practices. Polygamy was a common practice in the past but today, it is only practiced by few people, usually if the man marries under traditional African law or Muslim law. Civil marriages (conducted by government authorities) and Christian marriages preclude the possibility of polygamy.

About 10 to 15 families traditionally made up a village, headed by a village headman (Omukasa). Oweliguru is a post colonial title for a village leader coined from the English word "Crew." Within a family,the man of the home was the ultimate authority, followed by his first-born son. In a polygamous family, the first wife held the most prestigious position among women.

The first-born son of the first wife was usually the main heir to his father, even if he happened to be younger than his half-brothers from his father's other wives. Daughters had no permanent position in Luhya families as they would eventually become other men's wives. They did not inherit property, and were excluded from decision-making meetings within the family. Today, girls are allowed to inherit property, in accordance with Kenyan law.

Children are named after the clan's ancestors, or after their grandparents, or after events or the weather. The paternal grandparents take precedence, so that the first-born son will usually be named after his paternal grandfather (Kuka or 'Guga' in Maragoli) while the first-born daughter will be named after her paternal grandmother ('Kukhu' or 'Guku' in Maragoli.)

Subsequent children may be named after maternal grandparents, after significant events, such as weather, seasons etc. The name Wafula, for example, is given to a boy born during the rainy season (ifula). Wanjala is given to one born during famine (injala).

Traditionally, they practiced arranged marriages. The parents of a boy would approach the parents of a girl to ask for her hand in marriage. If the girl agreed, negotiations for dowry would begin. Typically, this would be 12 cattle and similar numbers of sheep or goats, to be paid by the groom's parents to the bride's family. Once the dowry was delivered, the girl was fetched by the groom's sisters to begin her new life as a wife.

Instances of eloping were and are still common. Young men would elope with willing girls, with negotiations for dowry to be conducted later. In such cases, the young man would also pay a fine to the parents of the girl. In rare cases abductions were normal but the young man had to pay a fine. As polygamy was allowed, a middle-aged man would typically have 2 to 3 wives.

When a man got very old and handed over the running of his homestead to his sons, the sons would sometimes find a young girl for the old man to marry. Such girls were normally those who could not find men to marry them, usually because they had children out of wedlock. Wife inheritance was and is also practiced.

A widow would normally be inherited by her husband's brother or cousin. In some cases, the eldest son would also inherit his father's widows (though not his own mother). Modern day Luhyas do not practice some of the traditional customs as most have adopted the Christian way of life. Many Luhyas also live in urban towns and cities for most of their lives and only return to settle in the rural areas after retirement or the death of parents in the rural areas.

They had extensive customs surrounding death. There would be a great celebration at the home of the deceased, with mourning lasting up to forty days. If the deceased was a wealthy or influential man, a big tree would be uprooted and the deceased would be buried there, after the burial another tree Mutoto, Mukhuyu or Mukumu would be planted (This was a sacred tree and is found along most Luhya migration paths it could only be planted By a righteous Lady mostly Virgin or a Very Old Lady).

Nowadays, mourning takes shorter periods of time (about one week) and the celebrations are held at the time of burial. "Obukoko" and "Lisabo" are post burial ceremonies held to complete mourning rites.

Animal sacrifices were also traditionally practiced. There was great fear of the "Abalosi" or "Avaloji" (witches) and "Babini" (wizards). These were "night-runners" who prowled in the nude running from one house to another casting spells.

Most modern day Luhyas are Christians and for some, (if not all), the word for God is Nyasaye or Nyasae.

The word Nyasae when translated into English roughly corresponds with 'Nya (of) and Asae/ Asaye/ Sae/ Saye/ (God). The Luhya traditionally worshipped an ancient god of the same name. When Christianity was first introduced among the Luhya in the early 1900s by various Christian missionaries from Europe and America, the Luhya took the name of their traditional god, Nyasae, forgot about that idol, and gave that name to the Living God of Christianity, the father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and whose son is Jesus Christ in the Bible.

The first Luhyas who were converted into Christianity took words, names, their perceptions of what Christian missionaries told them about the Living God, (the Creator), and other aspects of the religious traditions that they were born into, and applied them to Christ and God.

The Friends Church (Quakers), opened a mission at Kaimosi and the Church of God based in Anderson, Indiana took over the mission in Bunyore. During the same period the Catholic order Mill Hill Brothers came to the area of Mumias.

The Church of God of Anderson, Indiana, USA, arrived in 1905 and began work at Kima in Bunyore. Other Christian groups such as the Anglicans (CMS) came in 1906. In 1924 the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada began their work in Nyan'gori. The Salvation Army came to Malakisi in 1936. The Baptists came to western Kenya in the early 1960s.

The first Bible translation in a Luyia language was produced by Nicholas Stamp in the Wanga language. Osundwa says he did this translation in Mumias, the former capital of the Wanga kingdom of Mumia. There has been a strong Christian witness among the Luhya in the twentieth century.

A religious sect known as Dini ya Msambwa was founded by Elijah Masinde in 1948. They worship "Were," the Bukusu god of Mt. Elgon, while at the same time using portions of the Bible to teach their converts. They also practice traditional arts termes witchcraft. This movement originally arose as part of an anti-colonial resistance.

Various sources estimate that 75-90% profess Christianity.