NYAKACH BRETHREN ARE MARTIAL (LANG’O)

NYAKAWA UN LANG'O

Legend has it, and that legend maybe true, that when his time came to meet his maker, he did not ask for “the cup to pass over”. Instead he asked for 2 bottles of cold lager and muttered, “Thy will be done”. And that was that. And Pop singer, benga maestro Daniel Owino wuod-Dorina of Shirati Jazz Band was later to wail, Nyakawa un lang’o (Nyakach my brethren, you are martial) in Ndek jo-k'Oguta. Injustice to any human being anywhere in the world attracts Nyakach people like a lighting rod. And where did our Nyakach brethren inherit this hatred for human injustice.

A. THE GENESIS OF NYAKACH

Verse 1: And so it came to pass that in about 1250 years ago, Sin Kuru also known as Kuku Lubanga and his 12 wives begot some three sons, Lioleituk Dyang’, Odongo Pok Boni and Opiyo Podho Koma.

Verse 2: From the house of Opiyo Podho Koma, Ringruok (1245?) begot Owat (1274?).

Verse 3: And Owat begot Twaifo (1303?).

Verse 4: Twaifo begot Jok I (1332?).

Verse 5: And then it came to pass that Jok I begot 3 sons Nayo (1361?), Omolo (1363?) and Owiny (1366?).

Verse 6: And Nayo begot Jok II (1390?).

Verse 7: Jok II begot Ramogi I (1419?).

Verse 8: And Ramogi I begot Aruwa (1448?) and another son Podho II (1450?) that he named after his ancestor Podho.

Verse 9: And from the house of Podho II came Ramogi II (1469?), Lang’ni (1471?), Okombo (1473?), Omia (1475?), Didang’ (1477?), Miwiru (1479) and Olak (1481).

Nyakach

Verse 34: And Omia begot Oywa

Verse 35: And Oywa begot two sons, a latter Ramogi and Nyakach

Verse 44: And Nyakach begot Jimbo and Ndaria from the first wife. And from the other wife Nyakach begot Bodho, Diang’a, Obwon (aka ra-Jimo), Sare, Oguta and Sae.

Verse 45: And Jimbo begot Oywa and Okal. And Oywa begot Hema, Aduong’, Mwala, Gak, Guria and Gongo. And Okal begot Were, Lwanda and Nyapong’

Verse 46: And Ndaria son of Nyakach begot Anyango and Ojwando. And Anyango begot Ochimbo and Miera. And Ojwando begot Akech and Abayo.

Verse 47. And it came to pass that Bodho son of Nyakach begot Agwel and Rabok. And Agwel begot Nyateng’, Okumu and Mbudi. And Rabok also begot Achianja and Abuya.

Verse 48: And Diang’a son of Nyakach begot one son Omolo. And Omolo begot Oguta. And Oguta son of Omolo son of Diang’a begot Tombo, Kur, Nyimedha, Owuor, Okudho, Aonye, Mwana, Nyichudo and Ramogi Mari.

Verse 49: And Obwon Jimo begot Owala, Nyiguta, Nyiduol, Ojung’a, Oyo, Ogwang’ and Obola.

Verse 50: And Sare son of Nyakach begot Omen, and Ogondi and Obong’o and Ng’ombe.

Verse 51: And it came to pass that Sae also Riany (Riang’), Awuor, Oro and Damba.

B. OMIERI HISSING SONGS

Verse 1: And it came to pass that some descendants of Podho who had settled at Got Ramogi crossed over to present day Usonga region. And Oywa named this area Nyakach.

Verse 2: And some members from Nyakach homestead expanded the habitat to the islands.

Verse 3: And the hatching of Nyakach revolution began rearing its head here. And it came to pass that a subjugated jamwa had a bull with a melodious deep moo. And jealous clan conspired to forcefully take away the bull.

Verse4: And some boys of Diang’a saw that this was oppression. And they set loose the anchor to the boats so that the boats can float away. And the Diang’a sons descended on the stranded Kanam oppressors to rescue jamwa and obliterate the Kanam. And Nyakach’s sense of injustice was born.

Verse 5: And from this act then came the Luo riddle of “Nyambeja rwadh Okita ma nene oolo Kanam oko” (Nyambeja the bull of Okita that drowned Kanam raiders).

Verse 6: And Ka’Diang’a flourished in the islands after this benevolent act.

Verse 7: And Nyakach did not reward laziness or lack of wits. It came to pass that witty Ong’ayo ja Seme descended on a slow jaka’Diang’a, “ooh my friend your cows have been diseased, let me go and treat them and I will bring them back when the udder has been cleared otherwise your stock will perish”

Verse 8: And Ong’ayo later brought back the cows after they had had their young, suckled and there was no milk but kept the heifer for himself. And Nyakach did not sympathise with a witless jaka’Diang’a. And the riddle of “Kadiang’a ma rachuche ma nene kaw dhiang’ mi Ong’ayo” (The witless K’adiang’a who was conned off his stock).

Verse 9: And out of expansion Nyakach descendants crossed over to Milambo. And in this exodus was Ouko who now moved to live among his in-laws. And Ouko begot Owuor the great. And Owuor begot Kere the great. It is Owuor who sought greater expansion of Nyakach using underworld knowledge.

Verse 10. And when Owuor sought the wise men’s wisdom, he was told that his sibling and younger brother Osiro must be killed in combat for Nyakach to know peace in this hostile lands. And fear struck Owuor and he prayed for the cup to pass over.

Verse 11: And when Osiro heard that only his death will secure peaceful existence for his people of Nyakach, he was overcome with self-sacrifice.

Verse 12: And Osiro confronted Owuor bitterly for evading the opulence of Nyakach by delaying only 1 life. And it came to pass that peace reigned in Nyakach after Owuor.

Verse 13. And still Owuor was not at peace in milambo because his people of Nyakach were scattered. And Owuor gathered all scattered people of Nyakach and moved near Othacha homestead in Kano

E kind Akuru gi Asumbi

Verse 14: And there followed a series of squabbles with the people of Kano. And for a long time Nyakach endured the task of raiding lang’o stock and when they came back the original settlers would select the best stock and leave the rest for Nyakach warriors. And Nyakach elders were not pleased.

Verse 15: And Kabodho youngsters were barely restrained to hold their counsel to this oppression and waited for an opportune moment.

Verse 16: And it came to pass that an elder of the settlers Oburu Ojienda died. And in the festivities and mock martial dancing the settlers came with all their arsenal. And Nyakach young warriors of ka’Bodho, Sare, Jimo and Ndaria conspired to hide their spears, shields and arrows.

Verse 17: And a Jimo boy of great vocals raised the war cry of triumphalism of “A RI-RI-RI-RI”

Verse 18: And the Nyakach youths answered, “OLOYO, OLOYOO”. And the settlers were riled. And seething with anger the settles engaged the Nyakach diaspora.

Verse 19: And Nyakach strategy of disposing the arsenal was successful. And Nyakach drove the settlers on the verge of the precipice of the escarpment (Bondo). And the Nyakach diasporas marked their territory. And the remnants of the scattered Nyakach were whittled to come and fortify Nyakach new found land

Verse 20: And from this battle came the dhoLuo famous riddle of e kind Akuru gi Asumbi (facing the precipice from the bottom of the escarpment).

It rained fish

Verse 21: Then followed a period of vendetta between Nyakach and new neighbours. And Owuor consulted a rainmaker who flooded the enemy area with rain for forty days and forty nights. And there followed an abundance of spawning fish. And as the neighbours went to harvest abundant fish, Nyakach boys again hid their arsenal.

Verse 22: And Nyakach continued with their war on three battle fronts of Kano, Kabondo and lang’o and expanded their land holdings extensively. And that fearful lang’o maintained their distance peace until the hapless ill-advised flare up of 1992 that was quickly repulsed by un-armed Nyakach juveniles.

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