Join us as we learn the names of trees in Luhya. Today we get to know facts, cultural importance and uses of Inoyna or Luvambo through stories, taboos, beliefs and science.
Quick facts about Inoyna or Luvambo
Scientific Name
Type and how it looks like
Quick-growing, evergreen tree or shrub with large, long-lasting scented flowers that bloom in colder seasons
Common names:
Brittle-wood, common wild elder
Other Luhya names for Inoyna
Lubambo, Luvambo (Isukha)
Interesting facts and importance of Inoyna in Luhya culture
- Among trees and shrubs native to Kakamega Forest National Reserve and Kibiri Forest in Vihiga county.
- Culturally, luvambo was used in punishing by death wrong doers. Curiously, -ononya is a old Lulogoli / Luwanga word that means to destroy, or harm. Could this word be the root of the name of this tree inoyna? Meaning, that which destroys?
- Interestingly, quite opposite to the above mentioned destructive attributes of this tree, luvambo in Luhya Isukha mythology was also used after birth to shield newborns by protecting them from evil eyes (kigumba).
References
- Closeup featured image of flower from tree [SAplants, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
- Knowledge card image of flower [Marco Schmidt [1], CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
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