Four things. One: omusinde. Two: a proud father. Three: kamalwa khuyusia, ancestors’ timely but unwelcome lessons, the elusive nature of trust and kamalwa kakatikhe. This is the story of a boy whose big day, well, let’s just say it burst.
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The Bukusu people have a number of sayings about beer. Regulars here have already benefited from the wisdom of the Bukusu saying: sonywa munyngu chibili ta! A man shouldn’t drink from more than one pot. Today we shall be sipping from the bottomless pot of our forbearers on wisdom from an unfortunate happening during the Bukusu circumcision ceremony, when kamalwa kakatikhe.
So important an event this is that it gave birth to the Bukusu saying: ne katikhe kakhoya okhunywela. When beer has burst, you need someone with a kind heart to drink [it] for you.
First, let’s learn some new Bukusu words
Kamalwa
Beer/alcohol.
Khuyusia
Means to return. In this context, khuyusia is used to mean the bottom contents of the beer pot coming to the top.
Omusinde
Omusinde is a word that’s used to respectfully refer to an uncircumcised boy. Moreover, grown men who have undergone all that pertains to the traditional Bukusu circumcision, also use this word as a figure of speech when introducing themselves or when identifying themselves.
Lubukusu or Bukusu language is the tounge of Babukusu (The Bukusu) the largest house of the Luhya supra-community of Western Kenya. For a beginner’s ease in into Bukusu language our post on embwa ya wele (dogs of god) is a great starting point to appreciate the richness of the language. To get on with learning Bukusu language, stop by our post on 100+ common Bukusu words and phrases meaning, translation and pronunciation. To expand your vocabulary, make good use of our free Luhya-English dictionary and thesaurus. For intermediate speakers of Bukusu language, don’t forget to bookmark our comprehensive repository of Bukusu proverbs and sayings for they will be useful in spicing up your Lubukusu, so that you speak Lubukusu like a real Bukusu. And if your Lubukusu is already good enough, sharpen and challenge yourself with our new blog sibukusu that covers everything Bukusu in the purest Lubukusu.
The omusinde whose kamalwa refused khuyusia
I vividly remember one time when growing up, the public shame that engulfed a certain home that had a boy whose time to undergo lukembe, circumcision, had come. All plans for the fete had been laid out. Kamalwa kamakhalange had been prepared and subsequently busaa, our traditional beer, had been brewed in amounts sufficient to ‘break’ our village, and the next, for a week.
The omusinde had done his bit khuminya and friends and relatives from far and wide had been made aware of the d-day.
In all this, the father of the boy appeared relaxed even if before him, lay the daunting task of being host to all from near and far. He wasn’t a particularly wealthy man, but he had been preparing for this day ever since his son, his simakulu, was born some 12 years ago.
To be precise, he was beyond relaxed: he was boastful about it. For in his books, everything was on course. He was ready to assume his new status in society as a father who had circumcised a son. Everything; except for the busaa. A fact that he learned about too late in the day.
Later, village gossips who conducted a postmortem of the misfortune, said that there must have been a misstep in the delicate busaa brewing process. Possibly, the kamakhalange may have gotten contaminated with either salt or lemon during preparation.
As a result, when the kamakhalange was loaded into the big pot and limela, lots of love and vibes from the musambwa of the brewer, the brew failed to show the beautiful signs of frothing as expected. Two days in and the damn kamakhalange just sat there at the bottom of the pot undisturbed. It had refused to khuyusia, that is, mix with the water as it fermented, despite the generous amounts of yeast added.
Kamalwa khuyusia and the life lesson it teaches
But still they hoped. The boy’s clan elders, who had been consulted in whispers to give direction, gave their clean bill of health. It was just like it was during his father’s time they said. It was his quick temperament that was to blame.
The ancestors in their wisdom always took liberty to discipline those of quick temperament by making their brew to take long to to khuyusia at the worst possible moment. The lesson here the elders said, was to teach those with quick temperament, that the fire that frequently ignited within them when angry was useless.
My grandmother always said that anger can’t cook. For initiates with a quick temperament, as they undertook the rite of passage towards adulthood it was imperative they learned this lesson.
So Bukusu god’s ensured those with quick temperament got educated on the importance of being the masters of their emotions. Because a man, a proper omundu strong, is always in control of his frame.
Thus the delay in khuyusia is always almost considered a temporary setback. The brew would always come good if the initiate got this under control internally. It is such issues that an initiate is expected to ponder on during their self imposed solitude that happens soon after the rite of khuchukhila.
But oh, how wrong the elders were! For the brew chose the other path. Not to good kamalwa, but one where it aborted – kamalwa kakatikhe.
From bad to worse: Kamalwa kakatikhe
D-day. All visitors, friends and family are gathered. A smaller pot is placed in the middle of the main house ready to begin the party. As per custom, clan members and close friends of the omusinde’s father are ready to set the festivities off.
They do this by tasting the busaa. It is meant to show that all is well. The food is safe, the beer safer. So one by one the men of the clan take a long drag on their ‘murijas’ aka lusekhe in Lubuksu. And one after the other, they spat out in disgust. The brew had burst. Kamalwa kakatikhe!
The intolerant ones immediately stood up and left. People kept coming in, tasting the beer and leaving. A few, in the spirit of the Bukusu proverb ne katikhe kakhoya okhunywela braved the taste. Others uttered derogatory words to the woman of the house for being such a let down. They had not sweated over enganana and paid their cows for such piss to served as brew! Especially not on such an important occasion.
Some of those who left would also chide the man of the house for being too lax in running his home. He was an embarrassment to his clan for messing up a big day for his first born son. This is because the Bukusu traditional circumcision ceremony was in effect a chance for a clan to show off by being prefect hosts.
The owners of the home were so heartbroken. The omusinde was also shaken. It was left to his khocha to reassure him as at such moments it his maternal uncles who held sway.
Everything said and done, it was paramount that the initiate maintained focus on what lay ahead of him. It was time for him to show his bravery and not look back. Time to practice the advise he got when he went to the river one last time during the khuchukhila ceremony.
