Modern ethnicities Diaspora Performing arts Government agencies Television Radio Newspapers The Maragoli, or Logoli (Ava-Logooli), are now the second-largest ethnic group of the 6 million Luhya nation in Kenya, numbering around 2.1 million, or 15% of the Luhya people according to the last Kenyan census.
Maragoli clans include the va- masingira, Vakizungu, Va-Mavi, Va-Sachi, Va-Saniaga, Va-Vulughi, Va-Ndega, Va-sari, Va-ng'ang'a, Va-Suva, Va-Yonga, va-twa, va-gisemba... (The prefix Va- refers to the people or descendants, and is sometimes written as Ba-, Ava-, or Aba-.)
Many Maragolis have migrated to other areas due to land scarcity and have formed settlements in Trans Nzoia and Lugari Districts.
Because Maragolis value their lineage, they have transferred their own local names to the places they have currently occupied, so as to preserve their identity.
The Turkana people later came to occupy the area where the Luhya ancestors had settled, and called it Lok-Kitang meaning 'the place of Kitang.'
Luhyas, a people who needed a constant source of water for their crops, animals and various industries like metalworking, and building, kept moving along the Suam River depending on various environmental or human triggers, into what is now western Kenya and eastern Uganda, and settled near the source of that river, Mt.
They displaced a people akin to the Khoisan of southern Africa[3] and settled in their current homeland of what is now western Kenya.
The Maragoli people lived in and built what are now the stone ruins of Thimlich Ohinga before the Luo moved into the area and settled.
Daughters had no permanent position in Luhya families as they would eventually become other men's wives.
Typically, this would be 12 cattle and similar numbers of sheep or goats, to be paid by the groom's parents to the bride's family.
Once the dowry was delivered, the girl was fetched by the groom's sisters to begin her new life as a wife.
Modern day Luhyas do not practice some traditional customs as most have adopted the Christian way of life.
Most modern day Luhyas are Christians and for some, if not all, the word for God is Nyasaye or Nyasae.
The first Bible translation in the Luhya language was produced by Nicholas Stamp in the Wanga dialect.
They worship Were, the god of Mount Elgon, while at the same time using portions of the Bible to teach their converts.
[4] 2002 - Iriambuka; 2009 - DC (Disi wa kavaga) The Luhya, except for the Marama and Saamia, practised male circumcision.
This resulted in various age sets, notably Kolongolo, Kananachi, Kikwameti, Kinyikeu, Nyange, Maina, and Sawa in that order.
The newly initiated youths would then build bachelor huts for each other called simba or esimba where they would stay until they were old enough to become warriors.
Among the Bukusu, the Tachoni and to a much lesser extent the Nyala and the Kabras, the traditional methods of initiation persist.
Traditions have however changed with the dynamics of life, and currently, like most communities in Kenya, boys are initiated at the time the parent feels appropriate and is now usually done during infancy with symbolic rites of passage during their preteen years.
The Bukusu and the Wanga are mainly cash crop farmers, raising sugar cane in the Bungoma and Mumias areas respectively.
The Isukha of Kakamega area and the Maragoli of Vihiga raise tea, while the rocky land of the Nyore is used to harvest stones and gravel for construction.
The Kabras of Malava area mainly grow maize at subsistence levels, with a few also farming sugar cane.
With the rapid modernisation of Kenya, many young Luhya people have emigrated to Nairobi and other towns in search of work.