Processional Dances & Other Activities At (Kenyan) Kalenjin Koitos (Wedding Engagements)

Ngash Photography, Feb. 23, 2017

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams series provides information about (Kenyan) Kalenjin people and also provides information about Kalenji Koitos (wedding engagements).

In addition, this post showcases five YouTube videos of Kalenjin Koitos. These videos are given in no particular order.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks to all others who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT KALENJIN PEOPLE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalenjin_people
"The Kalenjin comprise a number of ethnic groups indigenous to East Africa, residing mainly in what was formerly the Rift Valley Province in Kenya. They number 6,358,113 individuals as per the Kenyan 2019 census. They are divided into 11 culturally and linguistically related tribes: Kipsigis, Nandi, Keiyo, Marakwet, Sabaot, Pokots, Tugen, Terik, Sengwer, Lembus, and Ogiek.[2] They speak Kalenjin languages, which belong to the Nilotic language family.[1]"...

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INFORMATION ABOUT KALENJI KOITOS
Excerpt #1
From https://hivisasa.com/posts/interesting-steps-in-traditional-marriage-ceremony-amongst-the-kalenjin-community by Uasin Gishu, no date given, r etrieved Oct. 30, 2021

"Interesting steps in traditional marriage ceremony amongst the Kalenjin community.

Just like other tribes, the Kalenjin community treasures the marriage ceremony so much. Marriage is important as it depends on the formation of a family which is the prime source of earliest ideas that remain through ones' life.

Amongst the people of Kalenjin community, there are special steps in a marriage ceremony that are more than ordinary. Having seen the Kalenjin marriage ceremony, we consider the various steps and what they mean.

The proposal/Show up

The son who wants to marry informs his father and mother about the girl he wants to marry. His parents tell their relatives and they discuss the suitability according to the clan. If they contend with the girls' behaviour, they go to the girls' family for a show-up and to request for a hand in marriage. The parents are usually accompanied by aunts, uncles, grandparents and some neighbours.

In this show-up, the bridegroom and bride are not part of the negotiations.

The grooms' family ask for forgiveness from the brides' parents for planning to snatch their daughter.

If the bride's family agrees to let them their daughter for marriage, a date for engagement is mutually agreed.

Engagement (Koito)

The bridegroom family goes to the bride's home officially to meet them. Here the groom is required to attend the engagement popularly known as Koito. The grooms' family which include uncles, aunts, grandparents, parents and the clan are invited into the room for dowry negotiations and know each other well. A proper introduction is done to prevent getting married to your own. As for each clan in Kalenjin community, they have a name of a totem animal to represent them, they call it 'Tiondo' and a clan name, 'Oret'

Once both families are aware of their animal and clan name, they proceed to discuss dowry.

Dowry negotiations is usually a challenging affair. The bride's family outlines the effort they have made in raising the bride to her age. They mention the benefit that the groom will get from marrying her hence demand enough appreciation.

Dowry differs amongst the Kalenjin sub-tribes. The dowry which is usually in form of cows, goats and sheep, differs depending on bride's status.

After dowry negotiations, a ceremony is held where the bridegroom and bride are guided and advised on the new family. Gifts and presents are awarded.

Wedding

The brides' family visits the grooms' to check on the agreed dowry and to escort the bride to her new home. The father to the bride wears a traditional cloak, usually of animal skin and carrying a special stick walks with the 'best man' as we might say, to the field to have a look at the cattle for dowry. After confirming, he marks them for identification. A big ceremony where the whole village is invited is held. It is the most expensive step but the groom must prove that he will be able to provide for his new family.

At the dark in a room, the bride and the groom are asked to sit at the opposite sides of an officiating elder. Plaits of a certain grass are made and anointed with butter. They are blessed as four people carrying bouquets of leaves of the sacred plants form a procession of going around the bride and the groom four times. Finally, the man ties the lady and he is tied too. This is evidence that they will be faithful to their marriages. Jubilations follows and celebrations continue.

The ceremony in Kalenjin community is very interesting and worth an experience."

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Excerpt #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koito
"Koito ("To give away")[1] is a Kalenjin wedding ritual which involves the negotiation of a brides dowry.[2]

Practice

There are variations in practice between the various sub-tribes, with the Kipsigis for example having a smaller celebration where only one's immediate family and oreet members are invited while the Nandi on the other hand have large celebrations where the whole village is invited.[3]

For all however the key elements are similar; that is the negotiation of the dowry payment which is done by a few select members/negotiators from both families in the privacy of a room separate from the other guests. Mursik is drunk at the end of negotiations by those present to symbolize agreement and is seen as being crucial to the process.[4]

After the negotiations, a celebration is held where the bridegroom and bride are given advise on family life by older relatives from both families. Usually symbolic gifts and presents are given to the couple during this ceremony.[5]

The koito is often quite colorful and sometimes bears resemblance to a wedding ceremony and it is indeed gaining prominence as the key event since the kaayaaet'ap koito is sometimes merged with it and at other times the tunisiet is foregone in favor of it.[6][7][8]"
-snip-
Some YouTube videos of this event refer to a Koito as a "Kalenji traditional wedding".

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2:  Jesca's engagement Trailer at kaplenge Elgeyo marakwet county

MC. HILLARIOUS KIPLIMO, Aug 16, 2021

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3: EDWIN & CECYLINE ENGAGEMENT TRAILER.(BEST KALENJIN KOITO/ENGAGEMENT DANCE).🎉🦋

Qip Photography, Dec. 8, 2020

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #4: FIDEL & MERCY ENGAGEMENT TRAILER .{BEST OF 2021}


Qip Photography, April 8, 2021

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #5: Most Hyped koito #mckiptabut #cynthia

MC KIPTABUT, May 13, 2021

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Names For The Days Of The Week In Four Nilotic (African) Languages: Kalenjin, Luo, Maasai, and Turkana

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about Nilotic people and languages as well as information about and names for days of the week in four Nilotic languages: Kalenjin, Luo, Maasai, and Turkana.

This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series that provides information about and lists for day names in various African languages. Click the "African languages days of the week" tag to find other posts in this ongoing series.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT NILOTIC PEOPLE AND NILOTIC LANGUAGES
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilotic_peoples
"Nilotic peoples are peoples indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages; this is a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages spoken in South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania.[1] In a more general sense, the Nilotic peoples include all descendants of the original Nilo-Saharan speakers. Among these are the Luo, Sara, Maasai, Kalenjin, Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, Ateker, and the Maa-speaking peoples, each of which is a cluster of several ethnic groups.[2]

The Nilotes constitute the majority of the population in South Sudan, an area that is believed to be their original point of dispersal. After the Bantu peoples, they constitute the second-largest group of peoples inhabiting the African Great Lakes region around the Eastern Great Rift.[2] They make up a notable part of the population of southwestern Ethiopia as well.

The Nilote peoples primarily adhere to Christianity and traditional faiths, including the Dinka religion.

Name
The terms Nilotic and Nilote were previously used as racial sub-classifications, based on anthropological observations of the distinct body morphology of many Nilotic speakers. Twentieth-century social scientists have largely discarded such efforts to classify peoples according to physical characteristics, in favor of using linguistic studies to distinguish among peoples. They formed ethnicities and cultures based on shared language.[3] Since the late 20th century, however, social and physical scientists are making use of data from population genetics.[4]

Nilotic and Nilote are now mainly used to classify "Nilotic people" based on ethnic identification and linguistic families. Etymologically, the terms Nilotic and Nilote (singular nilot) derive from the Nile Valley; specifically, the Upper Nile and its tributaries, where most Sudanese Nilo-Saharan-speaking people live.[5]

Ethnic/linguistic divisions
Languages

Linguistically, Nilotic people are divided into three sub-groups:
Eastern Nilotic - Spoken by Nilotic populations in southwestern Ethiopia, eastern South Sudan, northeastern Uganda, western Kenya and northern Tanzania. Includes languages like Turkana and Maasai.
Bari
Teso–Lotuko–Maa

Southern Nilotic - Spoken by Nilotic populations in western Kenya, northern Tanzania and eastern Uganda. Includes Kalenjin and Datog.

Kalenjin
Omotik–Datooga

Western Nilotic - Spoken by Nilotic populations in South Sudan, Sudan, northeastern Congo (DRC), northern Uganda, southwestern Kenya, northern Tanzania and southwestern Ethiopia. Includes Dinka and Luo.
Dinka–Nuer

Luo"...

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INFORMATION ABOUT & NAMES OF DAYS OF THE WEEK IN KALENJIN, LUO, MAASIA, and TURKANA
Kalenjin
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalenjin_people
"The Kalenjin are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting much of what was the Rift Valley Province in Kenya. They are estimated to number a little over 4.9 million individuals as per the Kenyan 2009 census.[2] They include Kipsigis, Nandi, Tugen, Keiyo, Terik, Injems, Marakwet, Sabaot and Pokot sub Ethnic groups in Kenya."...

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Excerpt #2:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalenjin_languages
"The Kalenjin languages are a family of a dozen Southern Nilotic languages spoken in Kenya, eastern Uganda and northern Tanzania. The term Kalenjin comes from a Nandi expression meaning 'I say (to you)'. Kalenjin in this broad linguistic sense should not be confused with Kalenjin as a term for the common identity the Nandi-speaking peoples of Kenya assumed halfway through the twentieth century...

The Kalenjin languages are generally distinguished into four branches. There is less certainty regarding internal relationships within these.
Elgon (Sebei)
Nandi–Markweta (Kalenjin)
Okiek–Mosiro
Pökoot"

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Excerpt #3
http://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=entry_detail&uid=xtcujelrrj
Kalenjin days of the week
"Sunday: Kotisap (Kts, T)
Monday: Kotaai (Kot, T)
Tuesday: Koaeng’ (Koo, O)
Wednesday: Kosomok (Kos, S)
Thursday: Koang’wan (Koa, A)
Friday: Komuut (Kom, M)
Saturday: Kolo (Kol, L)"

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Luo
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luo_peoples
"The Luo (also spelled Lwo) are several ethnically and linguistically related Nilotic ethnic groups in Africa that inhabit an area ranging from South Sudan and Ethiopia, through northern Uganda and eastern Congo (DRC), into western Kenya, and the Mara Region of Tanzania. Their Luo languages belong to the Nilotic group and as such form part of the larger Eastern Sudanic family.

Luo groups in South Sudan include the Shilluk, Anuak, Pari, Acholi, Balanda Boor, Thuri, Maban, and Luo of Dimo, and those in Uganda include the Alur, Padhola, and Joluo.

The Joluo and their language Dholuo are also known as the "Luo proper", being eponymous of the larger group. The level of historical separation between these groups is estimated at about eight centuries. Dispersion from the Nilotic homeland in South Sudan was presumably triggered by the turmoils of the Muslim conquest of Sudan.[citation needed] The migration of individual groups over the last few centuries can to some extent be traced in the respective group's oral history.

[...]

Kenya and Tanzania

Between about 1500 and 1800, other Luo groups crossed into present-day Kenya and eventually into present-day Tanzania. They inhabited the area on the banks of Lake Victoria. According to the Joluo, a warrior chief named Ramogi Ajwang led them into present-day Kenya about 500 years ago.

As in Uganda, some non-Luo people in Kenya have adopted Luo languages. A majority of the Bantu Suba people in Kenya speak Dholuo as a first language and have largely been assimilated.

The Luo in Kenya, who call themselves Joluo (aka Jaluo, "people of Luo"), are the fourth largest community in Kenya after the Kikuyu, Kalenjin and Luhya. In 2010 their population was estimated to be 4.1million. In Tanzania they numbered (in 2001) an estimated 980,000 [1]. The Luo in Kenya and Tanzania call their language Dholuo, which is mutually intelligible (to varying degrees) with the languages of the Lango, Kumam and Padhola of Uganda, Acoli of Uganda and South Sudan and Alur of Uganda and Congo."...

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Excerpt #2:
From https://owlcation.com/humanities/Luo-language-of-Kenya-Conversation-Basics
"Days of the week: Luo

Mok tich – Monday (work day one)

Tich ariyo – Tuesday (work day two)

Tich adek – Wednesday (work day three)

Tich angwen – Thursday (work day four)

Tich a bich – Friday (work day five)

Chieng Nyasaye (sandei) – Sunday (Day of God)"

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Maasai
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_people
"The Maasai (Kenyan English: [maˈsaːɪ]) are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress.[3] The Maasai speak the Maa language (ɔl Maa),[3] a member of the Nilo-Saharan family that is related to Dinka and Nuer. They are also educated in the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English. The Maasai population has been reported as numbering 841,622 in Kenya in the 2009 census,[1] compared to 377,089 in the 1989 census.[4]

[...]

History
The Maasai speak a Nilo-Saharan language. They inhabit the African Great Lakes region and arrived via the South Sudan.[8] Most Nilotic speakers in the area, including the Maasai, the Samburu and the Kalenjin, are pastoralists, and are famous for their fearsome reputations as warriors and cattle-rustlers.[8] Like the Bantu peoples of the region, the Maasai and other groups in East Africa have adopted customs and practices from the neighboring Cushitic-speaking groups, including the age set system of social organization, circumcision, and vocabulary terms.[9][10]"...

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Excerpt #2
From http://ilanguages.org/maasai_vocabulary.php
Days of the week
"Monday: Kazi nabo(from swahili kazi)
Tuesday: Kazi are (from swahili)
Wednesday: kazi uni
Thursday: Kazi ogwuan
Friday: Kazi emiete
Saturday: Kazi Eile
Sunday: Kazi navishana"
-snip-
The Swahili word "kazi" means "work". Used here the word "kazi means "work day".

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Turkana
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkana_people
"The Turkana are a Nilotic people native to the Turkana District in northwest Kenya, a semi-arid climate region bordering Lake Turkana in the east, Pokot, Rendille and Samburu people to the south, Uganda to the west, and South Sudan and Ethiopia to the north. They refer to their land as Turkan.
According to the 2009 Kenyan census, Turkana number 855,399, or 2.5% of the Kenyan population, making the Turkana the third largest Nilotic ethnic group in Kenya, after the Kalenjin and the Luo, slightly more numerous than the Maasai, and the tenth largest ethnicity in all of Kenya....

The language of the Turkana, an Eastern Nilotic language, is also called Turkana; their own name for it is ŋaTurkana or aŋajep a ŋaTurkana.

The Turkana people call themselves ŋiTurkana (The Turkana). The name means the people of Turkan."...

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Excerpt #2
From https://archive.org/stream/rosettaproject_tuv_detail-2/rosettaproject_tuv_detail-2_djvu.txt "Culture and Language of the Turkana, NW Kenya"
"he Days of the Week

Originally, the Turkana did not use the days of the week in the European sense. This classification is an artificial innovation created by the British administration. Previous to this time the month was divided into moons making possible the exact calculation of the days of the week. I shall not attempt to explain this very complex system which is still being used by the older generation.

Akwar naekingaren the first day (Monday)

Alomar nangarei the second day (Tuesday)

Akwar nangauni the third day (Wednesday)

Akwar nangomon the fourth day (Thursday)

Akwar nangakan the fifth day (Friday)

Akwar nangakan-ka-apei the sixth day (Saturday)

Akwar nangakan-ka-arei the seventh day (Sunday)"

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