ABANYALA: The Story of the Unsung Heroes- Miriri wa Nambengere and Miriri wa Musiondo
Among the Abanyala of Kakamega, there lives a story of two unsung heroes: Miriri wa Nambengere and Miriri Omusiondo. The two are from the clan of Abasiondo who pride themselves in the praise phrase Omusiondo Namaliro owa-mumbo translated as the Abasiondo of the couragious cry who lead others from Mumbo.
1. Omwami Miriri wa Nambengere.
This was a leader, omwsmi wa efumo, of Abanyala. Miriri wa Nambengere took over power from Kiminyi Munyala wa Namakangala. He helped Abanyala to unite with Abaongo. Unfortunately, when his brother, Nachicha, was killed in a battle, he went against the rule that omwami should never go to the battlefield by stepping down as a leader in fevour of going to a revenge mission together with other worriors. He died in the war. When Miriri wa Nambengere died, Munyala okhwa Mukhamba lead a revolution that split the unity of Abanyala ba Kakamega and Abanyala Baongo. That is why Abanyala of Kakamega are at times refered to as Abanyala ba Mukhamba.
2. Omwami Miriri wa Omusiondo.
He was a grandson to Omwami Miriri wa Nambengere. His mother died while he was still young hence the reference to his tribe as Miriri Omusiondo.
The story of Miriri wa Musiondo is about the reunion of Abanyala people who had gone separate ways due to the attack during the attack of efunikho or Esiatikho.
The attack of esiadikho (efunikho) of 1710 AD.
This was an attack that took place in the land of Ebunamumbo. In this attack, the people were given a humiliating defeated by stangers who had organised battalions of warriors. The warriors first attacked them from the sides of Nambweke. This is where the group that formed most of the Abanyala ba Kakamega had settled. It them turned out that they had sorounded the people from all direction.
The Esiatikho attack of 1710 AD was so devastating that it had effects on every clan. One great historical phenomenon is that it lead to the split of the people into groups. Three notable groups are: the present day Abanyala of Busia, the Abanyala of Kakamega and a group that took off towards the East that the colonialist documented the Abakabras. Despite the 'Abakabras' insisting that they were Abanyala through Urther Chilson; the colonialist lead by the then DC, Hobley and Siganga Waudo, put them together with a few tribes from Tachon and documented them as Abakabras.
Of special mention among the Abanyala of Kakamega, the attack reduced the clan of those who latter came to be known as Abaafu to one person. This is he who kept on saying: 'ese owa abaafu' (I the son of the dead) became the traceable father of the present generation of those who are called Abaafu. Also, it is in the same attack in which the clan of Abakwangwachi around sigulu were decimated leaving only Wire and his three sons: Wafundesa Muwuchawucha, Mukhokoche Mulaa and Lukoye. Furthermore, Abasiondo's population was reduced greatly. Indeed, every clan has a story to tell about this attack. It is empirical that it is this attack that made the Abanyala to scatter (atikha) far and wide in search of refuge.
To date, the Abanyalas' curse off evil spirits from their land in what is known as Nababa. In this event, they curse evil invoking the event of this attack. They use the phrase: 'all bad omen to go to the West of Nambweke, Namugoma and Luwero.' This is stated as 'Nababa chia Mumbo ewa Nambweke, ewa Namugoma, ewa Luwero!' This is followed by sweeping the house and throwing the dirt into the river to flow to Mumbo.
All in all, these scattered Abanyalas are the people that Miriri reunited under Omwami Munyala.
Birth of Miriri Nasookho wa Namakangala
In the home of the clan cluster of Abawo, the family of Nasookho of Abasiondo- namaliro aba-mumbo, a child was born and named Miriri Nasookho wa Musiondo. The child's father was Nasookho Maombo. He was born in early 1880 around Mbaale Uganda.
Circumcision and initiation as warrior
Miriri Nasookho grew up at his uncle's, Kambisi Wa Wetungu, place in Bukusu. Kambisi was a double uncle to Miriri. Why double uncle? One, Kambisi's sister was Miriri's mother and; two, Kambisi's wife called Nasiondo Nawire (Nabwile) was Miriri's paternal aunt. Now, it is worth noting that this Kambisi wa Wetungu was the father to Mango who had faced the knife during the rebirth of circumcision in Bukusu. Miriri came back home to face the knife cheered on by his uncle Kambisi and his cousins Wekesa and Wanjala.
Miriri Nasookho lead the Abanyala warriors to help Abaongo fight Abakhoone
Now, Miriri's story is a story of a hero during the The second war of Efuunikho in Ebunambo in 1800 AD. This was a war between all the clans that were affected by the first war of ifunikho against Abakhoone. The preparation for the war started towards the close of 1799. It all started when Abakhoone unde a leader called Opetu kept on attacking neighboring clans. Then, a call came from Khasamba of Abamulembo- Abaongoo that Abakhoone were planning to attack them in the style of 1710 AD. This prompted Khasamba to send Makanda to assemble worriors from clans who were affected by the first esiatiko (efunikho).
Among the Abanyala, warrior Makanda's campaign got a boost. A maasai worrior called Simbuchi, who had joined Abanyala at Mbaale, had trained a battallion of inciates who had graduated as worriors. The worriors were called amauko. Miriri and Simbuchi lead the amauko warriors to trek to the land of Abaongo to help their brothers.
On arrival in the land of Abaongo, they were received by Omwami Khasamba of the Abamulembo clan. They underwent an oath together with other warriors under a commander called Makanda. The people feared Abakhoone such that a medicine man known as Simwero had to be consulted. It is said that Simero made herbs and gave it to a black he-goat to drink and directed it towards Abakhoone. That it made Abakhoone warriors to develops diarrhoea upon being attacked.
The Abakhoone was a clan of fearless men. It had feared worriors such as the one eyed Mufulula, Mira-Yaywa, Simyula, Akhudu Mbaye and Ndubushile Ekwachi. Abakhoone are documented as having had the best organized army that had never been defeated in any war for many centuries. It was believed it was the same clan that had kelled the people in the fitst ifunikho (esiadikho) in 1710 AD.
Miriri in the war field of Abakhoone
Miriri was tasked to lead his battallion of Abanyala soldiers fromnBudala side. When the war started, the clans which had joined forces with Abaongo clans ambushed Abakhoone, fought and defeated them. Miriri was a frontrunner. The Abakhoone were expelled from their land. On the third day of the war, Miriri met face to face with a worror called Ndubulile Ekwachi. He was enetgetic. They wrestled until he took off leaving his spear and walking stick. This made Abakhoone to start taking off at lightening speed.
On the fifth day, Miriri took Ekwachi's fighting stick and spear and lead Abanyala battalion to kill more Abakhoone. When he lifted up Ekwachi's spear, Abakhoone took to their heels. He moved up to River Ndekwe where he speaared a huge one eyed warrior called Mufulula using a spear picked from Ekwachi. It is narrated that there was also one bundle of a man called Akhudu Mbaye and another called Mira-Yaywa who broke into a battallion camp of Abanyala warrior at Budala and killed some of the Abanyala warriors leaving Simbuchi with a scar at the back of his head (He called it the scar of mukhoone). The two Abakhoone worriors set Abakhoone captives free. Surprisingly, as Mira-Yaywa was running away, Akhutu Mbaye slowly walked away and no spear aimed at him struck him.
Keen observers noted that it was from this walking stick of Ndubulire Ekwachi that Abanyala got the word 'Omukwachi' to mean the walking stick of Ekwachi. Again, it was from the story of Akhudu Mbaye that Abanyala coined the word 'akhutumbaye' to mean walking rudely in a battlefield. All in all, for the first time in history, Abakhoone lost a war.
Origin of the name Abanyala among Abaongo
Upon this triumph, the leader of Abaongo, who had asked for support from many clans, praised the team from Omwami Munyala lead by Miriri and Simbuchis. They had managed Mufulula the one eyed giant.
To omwami Khasamba who was the leader of Abaongo, they congratulated him for being 'omunyala' too- the 'one whose efforts had managed' the Abakhoone. The combined clans shared in Omunyala's glory and stayed together for some time. They were referred to as Abanyala for they had managed Abakhoone. Their land was then called the land of the Abanyala leading to the Bunyala in Busia.
The emigration of Miriri and his group back to Munyala's territory.
However, Abokhoone were down but not yet out. It is narrated that the Abakhoone kept on threatening a revenge attack against any clan that took part in the war. People remembered of the how the Abakhoone used to treat anybody who trespassed their territory and developed fear. That the Abakhoone style of chopping out a rib from an enemy and leaving the enemy to die a painful death scared many people. Clans that had been bordering Abakhoone on the East, before the war, started to organize themselves to move away.
Miriri and Simbuchi came to know of more groups of clans who had names similar to those they had left under Munyala. Their names and history could connect. The clans planned for a trek back to Bugwe. The following groups are documented to have planned and executed the emigration to avoid possible revenge wrath of Abakhoone.
First, we had Abalanda. These were people who had settled at Budieri towards North of Ebunambo across R. Nzoia (near Port Victoria). Their other clan members remained in Sudan while others became part of the Luos. Also, we had the clan of Abauma who decided to trek back- though some opted to down to Mwanza- Tanzania. Then there was the clan of Abadabani who also joined in the move. We also had members of the clan of Abasumba who joined in. Abasumba were living near the land of water reeds (amasere) overlooking the Sumba Island of L. Victoria. Then, we also had the peace loving clan of Abatecho who joined in the trek back to see their long lost brothers in Ebukwe. Then, the group also had clans of Abamulembo, Abaholo, Abayisa, Abaero, Abalundu and Abakohole. It is said that other groups of the Abaongo also joined in the trek claiming folklore had it that they too had brothers in Mbaale.
It is at this point that the people proposed Miriri wa Musiondo to became their leader. He became a leader of the people as they moved to Mbaale. At Mbaale, he found them still under their leader called Munyala.
Those in Mbaale recognised some of the people coming with Miriri as families of their brothers who had got lost during the first esiatikho (efunikho). Later, united as one people, they moved to Tororo where Minyala Mukhe died.
After this, power was passed over from Mukhamba to Nasookho. Later, this Nasookho was removed from power by his own people who were in fevour of Masiribayi. Masiribayi had brought rain after a long season of hunger of Lumale that lasted from late 1845 to early is 1848 (Read the story of Origin of Abayirifuma: The story of Masiribayi).
Now, back to the story of Miriri. It is worth noting that it is this Miriri wa Nasookho of the Abasiondo clan that Omwami Nasookho Miriri of Abasaya clan picked on as the warrior to escorted Masiribayi and Mulaa to the hill during rain-rural. The ceremony of rain ritual was done in the home of Omusiondo by Masiribayi.
Later on, Miriri had a child called Nasookho wa Miriri. Nasookho sired Nachicha and some brothers. Most of them remained in Uganda as others moved deep into Rwanda and present day Luo-Nyanza. Nachicha sired Machecha. Machecha gave birth to Wamuchwa. Wamuchwa sired Wanyama father of the Mukamis and the Nanchamis. The Abasiondo are not many because most of them were always killed for they were front runners in wars and migration.
That is the story of Miriri wa Nasookho wa Musiondo who killed Mufulula- the one eyed giant of a warrior from Abakhoone. Good day.
1. Omwami Miriri wa Nambengere.
This was a leader, omwsmi wa efumo, of Abanyala. Miriri wa Nambengere took over power from Kiminyi Munyala wa Namakangala. He helped Abanyala to unite with Abaongo. Unfortunately, when his brother, Nachicha, was killed in a battle, he went against the rule that omwami should never go to the battlefield by stepping down as a leader in fevour of going to a revenge mission together with other worriors. He died in the war. When Miriri wa Nambengere died, Munyala okhwa Mukhamba lead a revolution that split the unity of Abanyala ba Kakamega and Abanyala Baongo. That is why Abanyala of Kakamega are at times refered to as Abanyala ba Mukhamba.
2. Omwami Miriri wa Omusiondo.
He was a grandson to Omwami Miriri wa Nambengere. His mother died while he was still young hence the reference to his tribe as Miriri Omusiondo.
The story of Miriri wa Musiondo is about the reunion of Abanyala people who had gone separate ways due to the attack during the attack of efunikho or Esiatikho.
The attack of esiadikho (efunikho) of 1710 AD.
This was an attack that took place in the land of Ebunamumbo. In this attack, the people were given a humiliating defeated by stangers who had organised battalions of warriors. The warriors first attacked them from the sides of Nambweke. This is where the group that formed most of the Abanyala ba Kakamega had settled. It them turned out that they had sorounded the people from all direction.
The Esiatikho attack of 1710 AD was so devastating that it had effects on every clan. One great historical phenomenon is that it lead to the split of the people into groups. Three notable groups are: the present day Abanyala of Busia, the Abanyala of Kakamega and a group that took off towards the East that the colonialist documented the Abakabras. Despite the 'Abakabras' insisting that they were Abanyala through Urther Chilson; the colonialist lead by the then DC, Hobley and Siganga Waudo, put them together with a few tribes from Tachon and documented them as Abakabras.
Of special mention among the Abanyala of Kakamega, the attack reduced the clan of those who latter came to be known as Abaafu to one person. This is he who kept on saying: 'ese owa abaafu' (I the son of the dead) became the traceable father of the present generation of those who are called Abaafu. Also, it is in the same attack in which the clan of Abakwangwachi around sigulu were decimated leaving only Wire and his three sons: Wafundesa Muwuchawucha, Mukhokoche Mulaa and Lukoye. Furthermore, Abasiondo's population was reduced greatly. Indeed, every clan has a story to tell about this attack. It is empirical that it is this attack that made the Abanyala to scatter (atikha) far and wide in search of refuge.
To date, the Abanyalas' curse off evil spirits from their land in what is known as Nababa. In this event, they curse evil invoking the event of this attack. They use the phrase: 'all bad omen to go to the West of Nambweke, Namugoma and Luwero.' This is stated as 'Nababa chia Mumbo ewa Nambweke, ewa Namugoma, ewa Luwero!' This is followed by sweeping the house and throwing the dirt into the river to flow to Mumbo.
All in all, these scattered Abanyalas are the people that Miriri reunited under Omwami Munyala.
Birth of Miriri Nasookho wa Namakangala
In the home of the clan cluster of Abawo, the family of Nasookho of Abasiondo- namaliro aba-mumbo, a child was born and named Miriri Nasookho wa Musiondo. The child's father was Nasookho Maombo. He was born in early 1880 around Mbaale Uganda.
Circumcision and initiation as warrior
Miriri Nasookho grew up at his uncle's, Kambisi Wa Wetungu, place in Bukusu. Kambisi was a double uncle to Miriri. Why double uncle? One, Kambisi's sister was Miriri's mother and; two, Kambisi's wife called Nasiondo Nawire (Nabwile) was Miriri's paternal aunt. Now, it is worth noting that this Kambisi wa Wetungu was the father to Mango who had faced the knife during the rebirth of circumcision in Bukusu. Miriri came back home to face the knife cheered on by his uncle Kambisi and his cousins Wekesa and Wanjala.
Miriri Nasookho lead the Abanyala warriors to help Abaongo fight Abakhoone
Now, Miriri's story is a story of a hero during the The second war of Efuunikho in Ebunambo in 1800 AD. This was a war between all the clans that were affected by the first war of ifunikho against Abakhoone. The preparation for the war started towards the close of 1799. It all started when Abakhoone unde a leader called Opetu kept on attacking neighboring clans. Then, a call came from Khasamba of Abamulembo- Abaongoo that Abakhoone were planning to attack them in the style of 1710 AD. This prompted Khasamba to send Makanda to assemble worriors from clans who were affected by the first esiatiko (efunikho).
Among the Abanyala, warrior Makanda's campaign got a boost. A maasai worrior called Simbuchi, who had joined Abanyala at Mbaale, had trained a battallion of inciates who had graduated as worriors. The worriors were called amauko. Miriri and Simbuchi lead the amauko warriors to trek to the land of Abaongo to help their brothers.
On arrival in the land of Abaongo, they were received by Omwami Khasamba of the Abamulembo clan. They underwent an oath together with other warriors under a commander called Makanda. The people feared Abakhoone such that a medicine man known as Simwero had to be consulted. It is said that Simero made herbs and gave it to a black he-goat to drink and directed it towards Abakhoone. That it made Abakhoone warriors to develops diarrhoea upon being attacked.
The Abakhoone was a clan of fearless men. It had feared worriors such as the one eyed Mufulula, Mira-Yaywa, Simyula, Akhudu Mbaye and Ndubushile Ekwachi. Abakhoone are documented as having had the best organized army that had never been defeated in any war for many centuries. It was believed it was the same clan that had kelled the people in the fitst ifunikho (esiadikho) in 1710 AD.
Miriri in the war field of Abakhoone
Miriri was tasked to lead his battallion of Abanyala soldiers fromnBudala side. When the war started, the clans which had joined forces with Abaongo clans ambushed Abakhoone, fought and defeated them. Miriri was a frontrunner. The Abakhoone were expelled from their land. On the third day of the war, Miriri met face to face with a worror called Ndubulile Ekwachi. He was enetgetic. They wrestled until he took off leaving his spear and walking stick. This made Abakhoone to start taking off at lightening speed.
On the fifth day, Miriri took Ekwachi's fighting stick and spear and lead Abanyala battalion to kill more Abakhoone. When he lifted up Ekwachi's spear, Abakhoone took to their heels. He moved up to River Ndekwe where he speaared a huge one eyed warrior called Mufulula using a spear picked from Ekwachi. It is narrated that there was also one bundle of a man called Akhudu Mbaye and another called Mira-Yaywa who broke into a battallion camp of Abanyala warrior at Budala and killed some of the Abanyala warriors leaving Simbuchi with a scar at the back of his head (He called it the scar of mukhoone). The two Abakhoone worriors set Abakhoone captives free. Surprisingly, as Mira-Yaywa was running away, Akhutu Mbaye slowly walked away and no spear aimed at him struck him.
Keen observers noted that it was from this walking stick of Ndubulire Ekwachi that Abanyala got the word 'Omukwachi' to mean the walking stick of Ekwachi. Again, it was from the story of Akhudu Mbaye that Abanyala coined the word 'akhutumbaye' to mean walking rudely in a battlefield. All in all, for the first time in history, Abakhoone lost a war.
Origin of the name Abanyala among Abaongo
Upon this triumph, the leader of Abaongo, who had asked for support from many clans, praised the team from Omwami Munyala lead by Miriri and Simbuchis. They had managed Mufulula the one eyed giant.
To omwami Khasamba who was the leader of Abaongo, they congratulated him for being 'omunyala' too- the 'one whose efforts had managed' the Abakhoone. The combined clans shared in Omunyala's glory and stayed together for some time. They were referred to as Abanyala for they had managed Abakhoone. Their land was then called the land of the Abanyala leading to the Bunyala in Busia.
The emigration of Miriri and his group back to Munyala's territory.
However, Abokhoone were down but not yet out. It is narrated that the Abakhoone kept on threatening a revenge attack against any clan that took part in the war. People remembered of the how the Abakhoone used to treat anybody who trespassed their territory and developed fear. That the Abakhoone style of chopping out a rib from an enemy and leaving the enemy to die a painful death scared many people. Clans that had been bordering Abakhoone on the East, before the war, started to organize themselves to move away.
Miriri and Simbuchi came to know of more groups of clans who had names similar to those they had left under Munyala. Their names and history could connect. The clans planned for a trek back to Bugwe. The following groups are documented to have planned and executed the emigration to avoid possible revenge wrath of Abakhoone.
First, we had Abalanda. These were people who had settled at Budieri towards North of Ebunambo across R. Nzoia (near Port Victoria). Their other clan members remained in Sudan while others became part of the Luos. Also, we had the clan of Abauma who decided to trek back- though some opted to down to Mwanza- Tanzania. Then there was the clan of Abadabani who also joined in the move. We also had members of the clan of Abasumba who joined in. Abasumba were living near the land of water reeds (amasere) overlooking the Sumba Island of L. Victoria. Then, we also had the peace loving clan of Abatecho who joined in the trek back to see their long lost brothers in Ebukwe. Then, the group also had clans of Abamulembo, Abaholo, Abayisa, Abaero, Abalundu and Abakohole. It is said that other groups of the Abaongo also joined in the trek claiming folklore had it that they too had brothers in Mbaale.
It is at this point that the people proposed Miriri wa Musiondo to became their leader. He became a leader of the people as they moved to Mbaale. At Mbaale, he found them still under their leader called Munyala.
Those in Mbaale recognised some of the people coming with Miriri as families of their brothers who had got lost during the first esiatikho (efunikho). Later, united as one people, they moved to Tororo where Minyala Mukhe died.
After this, power was passed over from Mukhamba to Nasookho. Later, this Nasookho was removed from power by his own people who were in fevour of Masiribayi. Masiribayi had brought rain after a long season of hunger of Lumale that lasted from late 1845 to early is 1848 (Read the story of Origin of Abayirifuma: The story of Masiribayi).
Now, back to the story of Miriri. It is worth noting that it is this Miriri wa Nasookho of the Abasiondo clan that Omwami Nasookho Miriri of Abasaya clan picked on as the warrior to escorted Masiribayi and Mulaa to the hill during rain-rural. The ceremony of rain ritual was done in the home of Omusiondo by Masiribayi.
Later on, Miriri had a child called Nasookho wa Miriri. Nasookho sired Nachicha and some brothers. Most of them remained in Uganda as others moved deep into Rwanda and present day Luo-Nyanza. Nachicha sired Machecha. Machecha gave birth to Wamuchwa. Wamuchwa sired Wanyama father of the Mukamis and the Nanchamis. The Abasiondo are not many because most of them were always killed for they were front runners in wars and migration.
That is the story of Miriri wa Nasookho wa Musiondo who killed Mufulula- the one eyed giant of a warrior from Abakhoone. Good day.
Excellent piece of history and culture of amunyala
ReplyDeleteYou have made to know something concerning my history
ReplyDeleteexcellent congratulation for that history
ReplyDelete