Traditional lifestyle of the Luhya
Origins
The Luhya myths of origin state that the first man to = be created by God at a place called Mumbo (which translates to 'West') was cal= led Mwambu. God then created Sela as a wife for Mwambu. Mwambu and his descenda= nts moved out of Mumbo and settled on the foothills of Mount Elgon, from where their descendants grew to form the current Luhya population.
The highest authority was the village headman, called Omukasa, who was usually elected by the men of the village. There were also healers and prophets who acquired great status because of their knowledge of tribal tradition, medicines, and religion.
At birth, children were usually named after grandpar= ents or famous people, or after the weather. Male and female names were differen= t: male names frequently began with 'W', while female names usually began with 'N'. Thus, for example, a boy born during a famine would be named 'Wanjala', while a girl would be named 'Nanjala'. Both names share the same root word, 'njala', from 'eNjala', the Luhya word for hunger.
The Luhya practiced male circumcision. The ceremonie= s were spaced about two years apart, young boys of a particular age (usually about= 15 years of age) would, on getting the go-ahead from their parents, invite relatives and friends to their initiation. The initiation was a public even= t, witnessed by all. Going through the operation without showing any sign of p= ain was thought to be an indicator of bravery.
Once circumcised, an initiate became a member of an age-group. There were twelve age-groups, forming a cyclical system, with ea= ch age-group lasting for 8 years. Once the last age-group was reached, the fir= st is restarted, and so on. Although circumcision was universal among the Luhy= a, the form of the ceremony varied according to the clan. In particular, the festivities and ceremonies accompanying the final stage of initiation, when= the now-healed initiates came out of seclusion to rejoin their families as 'men= ', were specific to clans
Marriage
Young men got married at about the age of 18-20, while= girls got married at about the age of 16. There were two types of first-time marriage: arranged marriages and enforced eloping. If a young man came from= a well-to-do family, he would ask his sisters to find a girl for him to marry. The ability of a potential wife to cook well, bear children and work in the fields were the main attractions in a girl. Once a girl was identified, an emissary was sent to her parents to ask for her hand. The girl had no say whatsoever in the whole matter: bride price would be discussed, and then on= ce it was paid she would be sent off to live with her new husband. This form of marriage is still common in traditional households today.
In some cases, however, the young man would be from a = poor family and could not afford to pay the likely bride-price. Traditional soci= ety allowed such young men to abduct the girls they intended to marry. (The girl had to present an opportunity to be 'abducted', so her cooperation was essential!) The couple would then leave their home to live with a far-off relative for a while, until the young man acquired enough wealth to pay the original bride price, as well as a fine, to the parents of the girl. This practice has since died out.
The Luhya highly approve of intermarriages between themselves and BaMasaaba. This is because they have quite a number of similarities in their codes of conduct, marriage customs, circumcision traditions and even folklore. Among the most famous of Luhya marriage custo= ms is the immense respect accorded one's in-laws. A lady, for example, treats = her father-in-law with a lot of deference and respect, and they are not allowed= to make physical contact in any way. The same is true of a man and his mother-= in-law.
In a marriage, duties were strictly segregated. The wo= men and the children did housework and agricultural duties. The older boys look= ed after cattle. Young, newly married men formed the community's warriors, whi= le middle-aged men did nothing, mainly. Older men formed the village's council= of elders, and resolved disputes. Punishment for crimes was usually on an-eye-for-an-eye basis, while petty crimes like theft were punished by the perpetrators being expelled from the village, and their property confiscated and redistributed to the wronged party.
Death
Being sedentary pastoralists, they had time to care for their sick and bury their dead. A sick person was looked after till he recuperated or died. When a person died, he was buried in a grave with a wa= rrior’s weapons if he was an elder. Several functions were performed during and aft= er the funeral ceremony. Ordinarily, burial pits ranged from 3-4 feet in depth, much shallower than today’s. Sometimes wild animals like hyenas exhum= ed corpses from graves and ate them. Should such an incident occur, people loo= ked for the presumed skull of the desecrated body, and when they found it, they hung it in a leafy tree. When the family of the deceased migrated, they bre= wed beer (kamalwa ke khuukhalanga) for the ceremony of transferring the skull w= ith them to the new home or settlement. An old woman was entrusted with the responsibility of conveying the skull to the new site. Burial of the dead w= as thus, to say the least, ingrained in the Luhya traditions.