This post isn’t about the dreams of the kind that Martin Luther King is famous for. Nonetheless, such like visions feature in this synopsis on the body of dreams of the Bukusu: kamaroro ke Babukusu. Further, this post completes, by providing context, any lingering questions you still might have after our post on Luhya interpretation of dreams.
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There different types of Bukusu dreams. And to each, their own. Save for possibly a handful, we’ve all had these dreams. In case you ever wondered what those dreams meant, here are worthy explanations from Bukusu folklore.
Kamaroro ke Bung’osi: Visionary dreams
Literary means the visions of leaders. We could categorize the visions that come to great leaders here; that is, if it happens that their grand plans of the future first come in their dreams.
Great leaders bear visions of a tomorrow never contemplated before. These type of Kamaroro come from Nyasaye and make great men out of ordinary people. Freedom fighter Elijah Masinde is famous for having these kind of dreams that had divine instructions for the people.
Kamaroro ke Bamakombe: Dreams from the living dead
In the hilarious post on emojis in Bukusu, we met our good friends the bamakombe. Bamakombe, the ghosts of our kith and kin, appear in dreams when they want to be named.
At other times, those from the world of the living dead, chose to express their displeasure at an occurrence by appearing in a dream. Such instances may include: underwhelming death and/or burial rites for themselves or a recently demised kin. Maybe even a taboo happening like the living mowing down a tree of cultural value to the family, clan or community.
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Kamaroro ke Chinganakani: Dreams of the conscious mind
Chinganakani means thoughts in Lubukusu. The Maragoli would say Zinganagani. We leave you to ponder on what the Kinyarwanda word for ‘thoughts’ is given the uncanny similarity between kinyarwanda and some Luhya dialects. Anyway, these type of kamaroro are as pointless as the sentence preceding this one.
These are the kind of dreams whereby one dreams of an absurdity such as driving a Ferrari, just because one zoomed by them on their walk home from their job hunt. If anyone labels such kamaroro as the products of wishful thinking, they would be bang right. Another example is a dream whereby an adult on the other side of teenage hood, dreams about a rendezvous with Idris Elba or Kim K. Dude! Get a grip!
Kamaroro ke Bisieno: Nightmares
Now, these are your typical nightmares. The Bukusu say that nightmares are as a result of acts of sorcery.
What happens is that practitioners of the dark arts for one reason or another do a number on you. The aim of witch doctors in such instances is to push ghosts to haunt, terrify and evict.
Basically, to cause the victims sleepless nights. That is to say, any dream that involves dreadful encounters that on waking up leave you thankful that all that was just a dream, fall here.
Kamaroro ke Khuungikhila
Have you ever heard someone you know call out your name only to turn around and see nobody? Or has this happened and yet when you inquire from them if they had called out your name, they deny doing so?
Well, these according to Babukusu, are kamaroro ke khuungikhila. Meaning, auditory hallucinations. Just like their counterparts kamaroro ke sisinini, they are acts of witchcraft. Moreover, they also occur any time of the day and to people of sound mind.
Such ‘dreams’ are said to be made of ghost voices sent by sorcerers whose intention is to trick your spirit into answering so that they can trap it.
Kamaroro ke sisinini
Kamaroro ke sisinini are basically visual hallucinations when you are in sound mental health, not under the influence of any substances, good physical health and well hydrated.
In these dreams, you experience a flash of vivid visions of persons. These ‘persons’ appear and disappear just as fast as they appear. The scary bit about kamaroro ke sisinini is that they occur during the day! Mbukusu explains such visions are caused by witchcraft; with the ‘people’ seen by the victim being ghosts up to no good. For instance, the ghosts might be planting evil charms around the victim’s abode.
Ka Makendangila
Kamaroro ka Makendangila is how the Bukusu explain sleep walking. In these dreams, the victim of a sorcerer’s charms engages in various activities with ghosts. Most frequently the activities in question involve taking a walk with ghosts.
However, there are legends of people who met their deaths by falling into rivers or wells whilst sleep walking in the middle of the night. Others are said to have been found busy tilling the farm in the dead of the night. Understandably, these dreams are considered the most dangerous as they include possible instances of the dreamer being a danger to themselves and others.
Sources
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