ABANYALA BA KAKAMEGA: The Story of the Royal Drum of usekete
Drums, like other traditional musical instruments, were part of the traditional life of Abanyala ba Kakamega. One such drum was the royal drum called usekete or urekete or ya sookho.
Apart from the royal drum of usekete, we had other traditional musical instruments that formed the core of the unique culture of Abanyala Ba Kakamega. The collection of Abanyala musical instruments were many: other non royal drums, omulele (flute), enyimba (jingle), etungu (lyre), ebikhorowe (palm whistles), esiriri (fiddle), ebikhuli (leg bells), emianjo (sticks), ebimuka (percussion guards), engong'i (metal ring), ebikhutu (cow bells), embumi (stick on string), esichiriba (rhino horn), olwika (waterbuck horn), walubende (ground fiddle) and ewumi (pipe) just to mention a few. It was because of these instruments' core role in traditional functions that the early Quacker Church banned their use in their early church services. However, the late 1980s campaign geared towards infusing of these instruments in youth choirs spearheaded by the then youth leader Mr. Shem Mukoyani and Pastor Wycliffe Sudi brought some changes in Quaker Church Music resevour.
Of our focus in this post, is one major historical drum: the royal drum of Abarnyala called the drum of sookho (eya sookho) or usekete. This drum was part of other royal items of the omwami.
1. The Royal Items for Omwami
The main royal item for Omwami was omukasa which was a copper bracelet for it marked a person as the anointed leader. Secondly, the omwami was handed a special spear called the spear of sookho. After that, the leader was then dressed in: echabe- a leopard skin cloak; an ikutusi- head gear decorated with esimbi or cowry shells and given an enjebe- three-legged stool. The leader would then sit and be handed engawo- a small shield made from a double buffalo's skin and frame from omukunja-ngawo tree. After that, he received ekhumba- a big shield made from a double hippopotomus skin. It is at this time that a royal drum usekete was then given. He drummed on it before making his maiden speech. This drum had its 'male' counterpart which was a olwika or horn from a male enjobe (waterbuck) which was not handed to omwami but went into the chief-drummer's custody.
2. The drum of usekete.
This was the royal drum of the Omwami. Its origin is said to have been through interaction with clans that had West African cultural influence of the brekete drums. Among Abanyala, usekete were two twin drums but the two referred to in singular as the drum. One was the mobile albi of the other. It was conferred upon omwami together with other leadership regalia. Originally, the drum was called eng'oma eya-usekete or urekete. (Almost similar to brekete drum of Ghana but usekete had 'ears.')
When it was memorably sounded for three days at the time that preceeded the peaceful removal of Nasookho of Abayemba-basaya from power by the people in fevour of a Maasai rainmaker-warrior called Masiribayi, most people started refering to it as the drum of Nasookho hence the name eng'oma eya sookho (the drum of Nasookho.)
3. The structure of the drum of sookho or usekete.
The drum of sookho had a cylindrical resonator made from the stem of omukomachi (Cordia africana). It had a double membrane skin. The skin used was from a female goat that had been specifically killed for this purpose. There were rules guiding the colour, age and structure of the goat to be selected for this purpose. The skin for making the drum was softened using animal fat from the same goat which was mixed with herbs. The turning straps were tied into two knots on the sides of the drum making the drum to be seen as if it had ears. The drum was decorated using esimbi or cowry shells equal to the number of clan of Abanyala. It had amadongolo or beads equal to the number leaders who held power before the present one since each leader was marked by an added bead. Each succession had to be marked by renewal of the drum's skin. It was held below the arms or tied infront of the stomach with straps going around the drummers waist. In case of a replacement, the drum maker or omusekete made it at the home of omwami and any material that remained was stored preciously. It is narrated that the horn of the goat whose skin was used turned into a lethal weapon for the omwami. He could use it to kill or send away (okhutumula) any woman married to the clans and attempting to be desrespectful to him. This was done by putting goat's milk in it, add some herbs and pouring it on the woman.
The drum-stick for the chief-drummer was made from a tree called omwirima. The drum-stick for the sister drum which was kept at the palace was made from a leg bone taken from goat slaughtered to provide the membrane skin for the same drum.
4. The drummer(s)
The omwami kept one of the twins of the drum in his palace and gave out its twin sister to the community chief-drummer. The omwami skillfully picked his chief drummer from a designated clan and bestowed the duty of druming on him. The sellected person had to be right handed, be non-wife beater, had sired a boy as firstborn and has a stable family. The major drummers for Abanyala were from the Abachimba clan- one traceble one was Micha.
It is said that drummer was not to carry any other load on him when druming- to carry only urekete. This lead to the idiom 'kenda urekete' (perekete) for walking around without carrying anything. Chief-drummer never visted by bringing anything apart from his message. Females were not allowed to touch on this drum.
5. Sounding of the drum of usekete
The drum was sounded in various rhythms to communicated various coded messages known only by specific members in the community. Unfortunately, most of these authentic rhythms and melodies are almost lost to modern younger generation.
The omwami sounded his drum for the first time during his coronation. He remained the only one to give instructions on when the royal drum could be sounded on any other day. Upon giving an order to the chief drummer, the twin drum in the palace of omwami was also briefly sounded to authenticate the sounding done by the drummer.
6. Storage of the royal drum
One of the twin drum was stored in palace together with other leadership paraphernalia. The other mobile sister drum was given to the chief-drummer and usually hidden in a cave of a tree called omucherera khunga or omukangu or Omukhuyu in a thick forest. If there arose need to replace the drum, a new drum was officially welcomed into the community by a ceremony called okhwingisa eng'oma. This was emediately followed by another ceremony called okhwasaka eng'oma on the same day aimed at destroying the old drum. From the old drum, the cowry shells and beads were removed and put on new drum. The parts of the destroyed drum were never discarded until the death of the omwami who is using the new drum.
7. Time for drumming
The drum of sookho was used for various purposes. First of all, it was sounded when there was change in power from one omwami to another. Secondly, it was sounded upon the death of omwami or his heir or his omukhaye (first lady). The dirge drumming was usually done in the evening even if the omwami died during the day. It also announced the end of mourning.
Apart from that, the drum was sounded to inform people of: war attack, fire attack, thieves attack, return of worriors, start of communial offering done by omwami, presence of evil spirits and instances of abductions. Each event had its melody.
It was also drummed (before a horn was blown) to mark the start of any migration journey. It was also sounded during execution of mischief-makers. For example, during the excommunication of deviant person from the community, the drum was sounded. This drumming was followed by a mock escort of the mischief-maker (the sounding was similar to the evil spirit drumming of nabaaba) by old women who rhythimically sounded small drums and calabashes until the target petson dissappeared from the village. Also, during esibaambo (the killing of serious rogue crimininals done by use of olubambo tree-stick via the ears) the drum was sounded.
There are times it was sounded for a visiting omwami on peaceful mission. Furthemore, it was sounded at the climax of the ceremony of officially assimilating a foreigner into the Abanyala community. Also drummed during the ceremony of okhulia embwa or making peace.
Also, during the reign of Masiribayi, it was used to announce onset of rain and planting season.
8. Conclusion
There is need for the Abanyala to reconstruct a model of the royal drum usekete and store this item of our history in Abanyala Ba Kakamega Cultural Museum.
Apart from the royal drum of usekete, we had other traditional musical instruments that formed the core of the unique culture of Abanyala Ba Kakamega. The collection of Abanyala musical instruments were many: other non royal drums, omulele (flute), enyimba (jingle), etungu (lyre), ebikhorowe (palm whistles), esiriri (fiddle), ebikhuli (leg bells), emianjo (sticks), ebimuka (percussion guards), engong'i (metal ring), ebikhutu (cow bells), embumi (stick on string), esichiriba (rhino horn), olwika (waterbuck horn), walubende (ground fiddle) and ewumi (pipe) just to mention a few. It was because of these instruments' core role in traditional functions that the early Quacker Church banned their use in their early church services. However, the late 1980s campaign geared towards infusing of these instruments in youth choirs spearheaded by the then youth leader Mr. Shem Mukoyani and Pastor Wycliffe Sudi brought some changes in Quaker Church Music resevour.
Of our focus in this post, is one major historical drum: the royal drum of Abarnyala called the drum of sookho (eya sookho) or usekete. This drum was part of other royal items of the omwami.
1. The Royal Items for Omwami
The main royal item for Omwami was omukasa which was a copper bracelet for it marked a person as the anointed leader. Secondly, the omwami was handed a special spear called the spear of sookho. After that, the leader was then dressed in: echabe- a leopard skin cloak; an ikutusi- head gear decorated with esimbi or cowry shells and given an enjebe- three-legged stool. The leader would then sit and be handed engawo- a small shield made from a double buffalo's skin and frame from omukunja-ngawo tree. After that, he received ekhumba- a big shield made from a double hippopotomus skin. It is at this time that a royal drum usekete was then given. He drummed on it before making his maiden speech. This drum had its 'male' counterpart which was a olwika or horn from a male enjobe (waterbuck) which was not handed to omwami but went into the chief-drummer's custody.
2. The drum of usekete.
This was the royal drum of the Omwami. Its origin is said to have been through interaction with clans that had West African cultural influence of the brekete drums. Among Abanyala, usekete were two twin drums but the two referred to in singular as the drum. One was the mobile albi of the other. It was conferred upon omwami together with other leadership regalia. Originally, the drum was called eng'oma eya-usekete or urekete. (Almost similar to brekete drum of Ghana but usekete had 'ears.')
When it was memorably sounded for three days at the time that preceeded the peaceful removal of Nasookho of Abayemba-basaya from power by the people in fevour of a Maasai rainmaker-warrior called Masiribayi, most people started refering to it as the drum of Nasookho hence the name eng'oma eya sookho (the drum of Nasookho.)
3. The structure of the drum of sookho or usekete.
The drum of sookho had a cylindrical resonator made from the stem of omukomachi (Cordia africana). It had a double membrane skin. The skin used was from a female goat that had been specifically killed for this purpose. There were rules guiding the colour, age and structure of the goat to be selected for this purpose. The skin for making the drum was softened using animal fat from the same goat which was mixed with herbs. The turning straps were tied into two knots on the sides of the drum making the drum to be seen as if it had ears. The drum was decorated using esimbi or cowry shells equal to the number of clan of Abanyala. It had amadongolo or beads equal to the number leaders who held power before the present one since each leader was marked by an added bead. Each succession had to be marked by renewal of the drum's skin. It was held below the arms or tied infront of the stomach with straps going around the drummers waist. In case of a replacement, the drum maker or omusekete made it at the home of omwami and any material that remained was stored preciously. It is narrated that the horn of the goat whose skin was used turned into a lethal weapon for the omwami. He could use it to kill or send away (okhutumula) any woman married to the clans and attempting to be desrespectful to him. This was done by putting goat's milk in it, add some herbs and pouring it on the woman.
The drum-stick for the chief-drummer was made from a tree called omwirima. The drum-stick for the sister drum which was kept at the palace was made from a leg bone taken from goat slaughtered to provide the membrane skin for the same drum.
4. The drummer(s)
The omwami kept one of the twins of the drum in his palace and gave out its twin sister to the community chief-drummer. The omwami skillfully picked his chief drummer from a designated clan and bestowed the duty of druming on him. The sellected person had to be right handed, be non-wife beater, had sired a boy as firstborn and has a stable family. The major drummers for Abanyala were from the Abachimba clan- one traceble one was Micha.
It is said that drummer was not to carry any other load on him when druming- to carry only urekete. This lead to the idiom 'kenda urekete' (perekete) for walking around without carrying anything. Chief-drummer never visted by bringing anything apart from his message. Females were not allowed to touch on this drum.
5. Sounding of the drum of usekete
The drum was sounded in various rhythms to communicated various coded messages known only by specific members in the community. Unfortunately, most of these authentic rhythms and melodies are almost lost to modern younger generation.
The omwami sounded his drum for the first time during his coronation. He remained the only one to give instructions on when the royal drum could be sounded on any other day. Upon giving an order to the chief drummer, the twin drum in the palace of omwami was also briefly sounded to authenticate the sounding done by the drummer.
6. Storage of the royal drum
One of the twin drum was stored in palace together with other leadership paraphernalia. The other mobile sister drum was given to the chief-drummer and usually hidden in a cave of a tree called omucherera khunga or omukangu or Omukhuyu in a thick forest. If there arose need to replace the drum, a new drum was officially welcomed into the community by a ceremony called okhwingisa eng'oma. This was emediately followed by another ceremony called okhwasaka eng'oma on the same day aimed at destroying the old drum. From the old drum, the cowry shells and beads were removed and put on new drum. The parts of the destroyed drum were never discarded until the death of the omwami who is using the new drum.
7. Time for drumming
The drum of sookho was used for various purposes. First of all, it was sounded when there was change in power from one omwami to another. Secondly, it was sounded upon the death of omwami or his heir or his omukhaye (first lady). The dirge drumming was usually done in the evening even if the omwami died during the day. It also announced the end of mourning.
Apart from that, the drum was sounded to inform people of: war attack, fire attack, thieves attack, return of worriors, start of communial offering done by omwami, presence of evil spirits and instances of abductions. Each event had its melody.
It was also drummed (before a horn was blown) to mark the start of any migration journey. It was also sounded during execution of mischief-makers. For example, during the excommunication of deviant person from the community, the drum was sounded. This drumming was followed by a mock escort of the mischief-maker (the sounding was similar to the evil spirit drumming of nabaaba) by old women who rhythimically sounded small drums and calabashes until the target petson dissappeared from the village. Also, during esibaambo (the killing of serious rogue crimininals done by use of olubambo tree-stick via the ears) the drum was sounded.
There are times it was sounded for a visiting omwami on peaceful mission. Furthemore, it was sounded at the climax of the ceremony of officially assimilating a foreigner into the Abanyala community. Also drummed during the ceremony of okhulia embwa or making peace.
Also, during the reign of Masiribayi, it was used to announce onset of rain and planting season.
8. Conclusion
There is need for the Abanyala to reconstruct a model of the royal drum usekete and store this item of our history in Abanyala Ba Kakamega Cultural Museum.
Wow! Thanks so much for this invaluable info on Abanyala history. Looking forward to your next article.
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