People Profile
The Luhya of Kenya
Religion: Christianity and Animism
Population:
4,990,600
Location:
The Luhya (or Baluyia as they call
themselves) tribal homeland is located in
western Kenya north of Lake Victoria from Kisumu to
Webuye going north and
south, and from Kapsabet on the east to the Uganda border on
the west. This
area of Kenya has been described as the most densely populated area of the
world, exceeding even India in population density.
There are also large pockets of
Luhya in Nairobi and the surrounding area.
History: There are various migration traditions among
the different Luhya groups.
Some believe they migrated from Egypt. Other Bantu peoples
as well as Nilotic
peoples, have a tradition of origin in "Egypt." This is
taken to mean a northern
area from the Sudan or Ethiopia farther north.
The first "white man" the Luhya had contact with was probably H. M. Stanley as
he
voyaged around Lake Victoria. In 1883 Joseph Thomson was the first
European known to pass through on
foot, and was influential in opening the
region to Europeans after his meeting with Chief Mumia.
Afterwards, there were
bloody skirmishes mostly with the Bukusu sub-tribe which came
to be known as
the War of Chetambe.
The Wanga kingdom was very similar
to the Ganda kingdom and other
monarchies in Uganda, an unusual form of government
for Bantu peoples.
Mumia was actually the last king in this line and was acknowledged
by the British
as a "chief."
Identity:
The
Luhya are classified as a Bantu people, based on their language. The name
Bantu means
"human beings." It appears that over a period of centuries,
successive waves of Bantu speakers
migrated into the area. There was thus a
common underlying origin and language-culture base,
but with diversity over the
years.
There are 18 sub-tribes of the Luhya
in Kenya, one sub-tribe in northern
Tanzania and 4 in Uganda. The Luhya call these groups
"houses" of the Luhya.
The Luhya are culturally and linguistically related
to neighboring Bantu peoples,
but exhibit differences.
Despite
the tradition of origin in "Egypt," the Luhya culture and language show
relationship
to the Ganda and similar Bantu in Uganda, whose traditions indicate
they came from central Africa. These
contradictory traditions are indicative of the
mixed origin of the group of peoples now called Luhya.
Tradition and linguistic characteristics of the various sub-groups indicate that
various
small groups of Bantu-speaking peoples settled over a period in these
areas. They developed a political
unity during the latter stages of the colonial
period.
Throughout
the early years of living in this region, they were at war with their
Nilotic neighbors, the Teso, Nandi,
Maasai and Luo. Records of these wars date
back to the 1750s. Despite this enmity, many Luhya families
have intermarried
over long periods with the neighboring Luo, a Nilotic people. It is
common to find
Luo names among Luhya, particularly the Ragooli (Maragoli).
They are agricultural people living mostly off the land. The western Kenya area is
rich,
fertile highland soil. In recent years many of the youth have gone to the
cities in
search of work and a better life. They are extremely tied to tribal
traditions and superstitions.
Language:
The Luhya groups do not all speak the same language. Some speak varieties
of
what is called the Luyia language ("Oluluyia" in the language itself).
Others speak
what are classified as the languages of Bukusu, Nyore, Hanga (Wanga), Idakho-
Isukha-Tiriki, Saamia and Ragooli. There is much debate about where there is a
central
Luhya language. There are Bible translations in Ragooli (Maragoli) and a
standardized "Luyia" language.
But many have trouble reading either of these.
The common languages used among the sub-tribes are Swahili
and English. (In
linguistic reference, the spelling Luhya refers to the people and
Luyi a refers to
the language.)
Each sub-tribe has its own traditional
language and customs. The traditional
language is spoken in the home almost exclusively. There
is similarity between
several of the sub-languages and the Luganda language of the Ganda
(Baganda) of Uganda.
Bibliography
Ayot, Henry Okello. History Texts of the Lake Region of East Africa. Nairobi,
Kenya:
Kenya Literature Bureau, 1977.
Barker, Eric E. The Short History of Nyanza. Nairobi,
Kenya: East African
Literature Bureau, 1975.
Makila,
F. E. An Outline History of Babukusu of Western Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya:
Kenya Literature Bureau, 1978.
Were, Gideon S. A History of the Abaluyia of Western Kenya: c. 1500-1930.
Nairobi,
Kenya: East African Publishing House, 1967.
Western Kenya Historical Texts. Nairobi, Kenya: East African Literature
Bureau,
1967.