Having many children is considered a blessing, and childlessness, bukumba, among the Bukusu, as it is in many African cultures, taken to be a great misfortune. Traditionally, many births took place at home. Mostly by self or assisted by co-wives, mother, sisters, mother-in-laws or even the pregnant woman’s relatives if she had chosen to go give birth at her maiden home. The placenta, engobi, and the umbilical cord, lulela, were buried at a secret spot. This was done so that they wouldn’t be found and tampered with by witches, balosi. These Bukusu birth rituals served to usher the most important of all. The one birth ceremony whose end-product is for life: the Bukusu naming traditions.
NAMING CUSTOMS AMONG THE BUKUSU
After delivery, a child was given a name or names as dictated by a number of cultural diems. Today, following christian and modern norms, names can additionally be derived from foreign customs such as Arabic, English, French, Dutch or Portuguese. However, even in the midst of modernism, it’s almost mandatory for Bukusu children to have be African names as per tradition. As a result, the 21st century Bukusu will have three names; Christian/Muslim name; a maiden name and then a family name in that order.
The family name is almost strictly paternal unlike the mixed system among Spanish naming systems where paternal and maternal surnames are combined sequentially. Moreover, unlike in some ancient Asian traditions – South Koreans in particular– the surname does not denote status. It is simply the name of your father.
This article reveals the intricacies, charm and traditions of how the Bukusu gave middle names to children. Several factors influence names given to children. These may include;
Also Read
Bukusu Naming Traditions, Naming According to Time & Place
Bukusu children could be named depending on the day of the week, time of day, season, location of birth and even after moments of special events occurring in the community.
Day of the week of the birth.
Males born on Mondays could be named Barasa while those born on Saturdays would be named Nyongesa.
The time of day – dawn, morning, dusk, afternoon, evening, night .
For example. male children born late in the night would be named Wabwile. The girls would be known as Nabwile.
Season of the year – famine, rainy season
Boy children and girl children born during the dry season will be named Simiyu & Nasimiyu respectively. Those born during the rainy season will be Wafula &Nafula.
Location
Children born by the roadside would be named Wangila for boys & Nangila for girls. Girls born on the veranda would be named Namukuru.
Babies born during circumcision period
They would be named Namwenya if females. Boy children would be named Mukhebi meaning the circumcisor.
Bukusu Naming Traditions, Naming According to Community Events
As you will realize, overlaps do occur among these general rules guiding Bukusu naming traditions. What takes center stage at any given instance depends on other confounding factors. Maybe, the child being born is arriving at a seminal period in the lifetime of his or her parents – such as their first ever tilling and planting of the land.
Maybe, within the child’s lineage, there is a Wanyonyi or Namalwa who just recently went to be with the ancestors. Whatever the reason for naming a child this way over that way, whichever name is chosen still has it’s roots in ancient Bukusu naming traditions. Here are more names begotten from considerations of prevailing community-wide event.
Economic activity of the day – planting season, harvesting
Male children born during the planting season would be named Wanyonyi. The girls would be known as Naliaka. While those born during the harvesting season would be named Wekesa and Nekesa respectively.
Contemporary nature of the times
Children born during merry making times would be named Wamalwa & Namalwa or Wanyama & Nanyama. As you would know, kamalwa is alcohol and enyama is meat in lubukusu. These names were common among those born in August of a leap year (coinciding with lukembe activities) or children born in December during Christmas celebrations.
In Mourning
Children born after death of someone significant in the community would be named after the deceased person. They could also be simply be named Masika meaning mourning.
Bukusu Naming Traditions, Names For Babies According to Circumstances Surrounding Pregnancy & Delivery
- Children whose mothers conceived before getting their monthly periods after delivering another child would be named Okumu.
- Female children born past the normal pregnancy gestation period would be named Nasiebanda, or Mwibanda for males
- Normally, a child born in breech (any other presenting part sans the head: legs, buttocks, shoulder) is given a special name. A boy is named Sifuna while a girl Nafuna.
- Specific circumstances relating to the child and to the child’s family. For example very small babies would be named Nangekhe. It might be a familial trait, or these children would be small for their gestation age for any other reason
- Female children born before completing normal gestation of 9 months would be named Nambuswa
- Twins were also named in a special way. The first one to come out was named Mukhwana who was followed by Mulongo. After the birth of twins a ceremony known as khukhwikula bukhwana is done.
- Children born after twins were named Khisa and Khamala in that order
- Children could also be named depending on the availability of special foods during puperium or birth. Like those born during the mushroom season would be named Wabwoba & or Nabwoba for females. Their counterparts born during the termite season would be named Waswa.
- A girl born among boys would be named Nasio meaning single.
- Girls born with fairer skin/beauty than their siblings would be named Khakasa for girls & Wakasa for boys.
Bukusu Naming Traditions: The Influence of Family Ties
Babies could also inherit names of their ancestors. These would vary from one clan to the next. Example names like Makila, Makanda, Mukisu, Wakoli, Bifwoli, Nabwana are related to the bayemba clan in one way or the other. It worth emphasizing that not everyone got a chance to be named after. It is only men and women of honor who were immortalized by naming children after them. Certain people could not be named after. Examples include those who committed suicide or those who didn’t bear any children.
Some children were named after their clans. You will find females with names like Namuki of the Bamuki clan, Namuyemba of the Bayemba clan, Nakibeti of the Bakibeti clan and Nandako of the Balako clans
Other Special Circumstances
Order of birth; children born after twins also had special names; Khamala was born immediately after twins and Khisa born after Khamala.
Special cases where a couple got a second set of twins would be named Khisa and Khamala. If they got a third set of twins they would be named Khonokha and Nabangi.
Children born after the death of their parents would be named Namulekhwa, Walekhwa, Taabu etc. Translating to those who were left and problems respectively.
If one’s parents suffer or suffered from successive child or infant mortality, one is likely to have a funny, survival or death-prevention name believed to be capable of preventing and/or eliminating totally such deaths. The power of the name would arise from its ability to confuse evil spirits from the underworld from causing the death of such children. Males would be named Wenani, Wepukhulu, Makokha, Kundu, Kuloba, Namunyu ,Mayende, Kutukhulu etc. Females on the other hand would be named Nabangala, Nang’unda, etc.
Sources: Makokha, Mangobe my village elder (not the Omukasa but the wise one whose only task today is passing on Bukusu culture via oral tradition)
Love Our Content? Free Your Inner Luhya, Join Our Mailing List
