was known as a great warrior and leader of his people. He helped to defeat the Bantu armies, but the Bantu were
allowed to stay on and marry Luo, and taught us many things about farming and the new land.
Once people began to settle and farm, the land in Alego became crowded. Opiyo, son of Okoth, was a younger
brother, so perhaps that is why he decided to move to Kendu Bay. When he moved there, he was landless, but in the
custom of our people, a man could use any unused land. What a man did not use reverted to the tribe. So there was no
shame in Opiyo’s situation. He worked in the compounds of other men and cleared the land for his own farm. But
before he could prosper, he died very young, leaving behind two wives and several children. One wife was taken in by
Opiyo’s brother, as was the custom then-she became the brother’s wife, her children his children. But the other wife
also died, and her oldest son, Obama, was orphaned when still a boy. He, too, lived with his uncle, but the resources of
the family were strained, and so as Obama grew older, he began to work for other men as his father had done before
him.
The family he worked for was wealthy, with many cattle. But they came to admire Obama, for he was enterprising
and a very good farmer. When he sought to marry their oldest daughter, they agreed, and the uncles in this family
provided the necessary dowry. And when this eldest daughter died, they agreed that Obama could marry the younger
daughter, whose name was Nyaoke. Eventually Obama had four wives, who bore him many children. He cleared his
own land and became prosperous, with a large compound and many cattle and goats. And because of his politeness and
responsible ways, he became an elder in Kendu, and many came to seek his advice.
Your grandfather, Onyango, was Nyaoke’s fifth son. Dorsila, who sits here, was the last child of Obama’s last wife.
This is the time before the white man came. Each family had their own compound, but they all lived under the laws of
the elders. Men had their own huts, and were responsible for clearing and cultivating their land, as well as protecting
the cattle from wild animals and the raids of other tribes. Each wife had her own vegetable plot, which only she and her
daughters would cultivate. She cooked the man’s food, drew water, and maintained the huts. The elders regulated all
plantings and the harvests. They organized families to rotate their work, so that each family helped the other, in doing
these things. The elders distributed food to widows or those who had fallen on hard times, provided cattle as dowry for
those men who had no cattle themselves, and settled all conflicts. The words of the elders were law and strictly
followed-those who disobeyed would have to leave and start anew in another village.
The children did not go to school, but learned alongside their parents. The girls would accompany their mothers and
learn how to grind the millet into porridge, how to grow vegetables and pack clay for the huts. The boys learned from
their fathers how to herd and work pangas and throw spears. When a mother died, another would take the child in and
suckle him as her own. At night, the daughters would eat with their mothers, while the sons would join their father in
his hut, listening to stories and learning the ways of our people. Sometimes a harpist would come, and the entire village
would come to listen to his songs. The harpists sang of great deeds of the past, the great warriors and wise elders. They
would praise men who were good farmers, or women who were beautiful, and rebuke those who were lazy or cruel. All
were recognized in these songs for their contributions to the village, good and bad, and in this way the traditions of the
ancestors stayed alive in all who heard. When the children and women were gone, the men in the village would gather
together and decide on the village affairs.
barré
(Barré)
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