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Meru - Music and Dance |
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| See also The Appearance of Music, by Kaburo Kobia, about a remarkable school for deaf children which includes music and dance in its syllabus. |
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| In this page: Musical instruments Song lyrics Song lyrics - for a mother and newborn child Song lyrics - girl's song before circumcision Song lyrics - in praise of warriors Song lyrics - You boy when I was circumcised Song lyrics - the confused candidate Song lyrics - instruction during circumcision |
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Horns
Rugoji (the horn of the lesser kudu, choro) provides music for dances. A hole for blowing is made by a knife in the narrow end.Bells and rattles
In the past, iron bells were attached to the legs of dancing warriors, and also to young boys undergoing initiation. Rattles are made of string bags or balls containing seeds. The horn whistle is called Nkuri.'Dancing shields'
'Dancing shields' (rwogo) made of light wood, somewhat in the shape of a clog with a 'funnel' in the centre, were used during circumcision ceremonies of both boys and girls. For boys, these miniature shields were worn on the candidate's right arm. For girls, the shields were carried by women accompanying the ceremony, who would beat them with sticks to provide both rhythm and, presumably, to mask the cries of the girl.Drums
Meru drummers used log-drums painted with symmetrical designs, which appear to have been similar to the ones used by the famous Chuka drummers, as well as those used by the Embu and Kamba.
I'm grateful to Daniel Nyaga's book Customs and Traditions of the Meru (1997: East African Educational Publishers, PO Box 45314 Nairobi, Kenya), from which the song lyrics were taken. Please read the copyright notice if you want to use them.
Song for a mother and newborn child
This song was sung by village women and relatives when visiting a mother and her newborn child for the first time.
Greeting:
Oh mother, may you successfully bring up your born child.
Mother:
May it be the same for you too.
Greeting:
May you get another after this one grows up
Mother:
May that be the rule for us all.
Greeting:
The rest then is to feast on the child's ritual occasion!
According to custom, the mother of the child would invite other women in the village to come and share the food that had been brought, These women would sing, praising the husband and wife saying:
The urge of flesh,
Has made us eat,
It is of husband and wife.The women also praised the mother for having borne the pain of childbirth, and teased the husband:
The husband who,
Who used to say: "The child is not of the woman,"
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.As I bring forth my father/mother,
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.The pain of my father/mother,
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.It is mischievous,
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.It may kill a wayfarer woman,
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.We have got our father,
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.We have got our mother,
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.We have got a herdsman,
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.We have got a gruel-maker.
Let him come to see for himself,
How I trot about.A girl's song before circumcision
This was sung by a girl about to be circumcised, before she entered the circumcision field. It was performed in the company of girls of her own age-group, together with girls and young women from the girl's suitor's family. After the everyone had stopped singing, the girl begins:
Girls of my own age group,
My company with you has ended,
As the tide gets lost in the pool.Singing to her suitor's mother, she said:
My mother, the suitor's mother,
In broad daylight, keenly look at me,
That the cattle for dowry,
May not be paid,
For an undeserved girl.My mother, the suitor's mother,
I have no tongue for gossiping,
Or backbiting, save for talking.My mother, the suitor's mother,
Let me come to relieve you,
Of the gourds that broke your back.My mother, the suitor's mother,
When I come to your home,
Never cook for me with a small pot,
My stomach is so large,
That even pea peels,
Are preserved for it.My mother, the suitor's mother,
When I come to your home,
I will be raising my hand over you
As good wishes, before I sleep.Her mother-in-law, in response, would sing:
When you come to my home,
Wife of my son,
Don't be calling my children "rats".When you come to my home,
Wife of my son,
I will be preparing a bed for you,
And you, make sure that,
You will not go gossiping about us,
With the women of the village.A song in praise of warriors
This song was sung by girls on the evening before their circumcision, in the form of a contest. The lyrics of this particular song liberally praise the warriors of their own age-group (Ntune, meaning 'Pale' or 'Red'), and includes criticism of the warriors belonging to the other age-groups, namely Njiru ('Black') and Njaru ('White').
Under the urge to be circumcised,
I will sing all night,
In the morning I will go home.As I came I was warned - I will sing all night,
By Mbogori, my father - I will sing all night,
Not to stay after dancing - I will sing all night,
Not to speak carelessly - I will sing all night,
In the morning I will go home.
Under the urge...As I came I was warned - I will sing all night,
That I should not be outdone - I will sing all night,
Otherwise I will be killed - I will sing all night,
If I escape death - I will sing all night,
I will be sold at Uru - I will sing all night,
Sold indeed for beer - I will sing all night,
Worth only two gourds - I will sing all night,
In the morning I will go home.
Under the urge...'White' age-group are useless - I will sing all night,
People who keep no promise - I will sing all night,
As we had agreed - I will sing all night,
As one unit - I will sing all night,
Of men and women - I will sing all night,
In the morning I will go home.
Under the urge...'Black' age group are useless - I will sing all night,
People who keep no promise - I will sing all night,
As we had agreed - I will sing all night,
As one unit - I will sing all night,
Of men and women - I will sing all night,
In the morning I will go home.
Under the urge...You boy when I was circumcised
This was a warrior's song, danced to in the evenings leading up to circumcision.
When I was circumcised, oh yes.
I was not as old as you, oh yes.
You only feared, oh yes.
And went back home, oh yes.
To build huts, oh yes.
of bulrushes, oh yes.
It is only today and tomorrow.
No longer ours,
This is the last echo,
After betting,
Tell him, it is no longer ours.Song of the confused candidate
This is a Mariri song, sung by male initiation candidates in the weeks prior to their circumcision.
With whom can I be at peace?
I, who have done things,
That may turn out to be a shame for me!Our respectable ladies,
Shout with shrill voices like birds,
That I may be circumcised,
Stepping on the shoulders,
Of our warriors.Send a message, you quick tongue,
To my uncle,
That he may give me my due.Oh, courage, boy,
Oh, the knife is at hand,
That ended pleasure with birds,
Oh courage, boy.Song to instruct the candidate during circumcision
This is part of an epic song which begins the night before the mass circumcision of boys. It provides instruction, as well as encouragement to an initiate to bear the pain without flinching, for to do so would lead to his being branded a coward.
Soloist:
Eh, look to the East and see,
Chorus:
It has dawned.
Soloist:
Awake your mother,
Chorus:
To deck you a garland.
Soloist:
Despite its swiftness, the buffalo,
Chorus:
Came to be killed.
Soloist:
The kite swooped down, eh, and picked the meat.
Chorus:
The kite swooped down, eh, and picked the meat.
Soloist:
The candidate struggles.
Chorus:
With the circumciser.
Soloist:
The candidate struggles.
Chorus:
With the circumciser.
Soloist:
The knife has fat like a fat ram.
Chorus:
That is true.
Soloist:
One does not try to move a bit farther from it or closer to it.
Chorus:
That is the thing.
Soloist:
Moving closer to it means moving a bit further from it.
Chorus:
That is true
Soloist:
Moving a bit further from it means moving a bit closer to it.
Chorus:
That is true.
Soloist:
Dear candidate, if you move legs even a bit, the whole penis will be chopped off.
Chorus:
Dear candidate if you move legs even a bit, the whole penis will be chopped off.
Soloist:
Dear candidate, if you move the legs even a bit you will be cut on the thighs.
Chorus:
Dear candidate, if you move the legs even a bit you will be cut on the thighs.
Instructions after the operation:
Soloist:
The blood of the knife is fatty oil, we anoint ourselves with that.
Chorus:
That is true.
Soloist:
The hand is a witness to the other, that it has held the penis.
Chorus:
The hand is a witness to the other, that it has held the penis.
Soloist:
And when you hear, "The hand is witness to the other," and that they are the ones that help us.
Chorus:
That is the thing.
Soloist:
And when you hear, "The hand is a witness to the other," it is not Njara son of Kague.
Chorus:
That is the thing.
Stanza sung repeatedly as long as the operation lasted:
Soloist:
Eh, knife - good omen,
Chorus:
Eh, knife - good omen.
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