Abeingo Community Network

Cultural warriors: Babukusu are perhaps the most culturally active of all the 18 Luhya sub nations. They are closely related to the Abagisu (Masaaba) of eastern Uganda. Perhaps the best known cultural practice is the circumcision ceremony; an elaborate affair that is marked with fanfare, songs and ancient rituals as basinde (uninitiated boys) are transformed into basiani (young men). The fervour with which Babukusu organise the circumcision jamboree can only rival the annual Rio de Janeiro Carnivore. You need to see it to believe it. See also Bagisu. Besides the cultural, the Bukusu have also produced some of the most courageous individuals in Buluyia. In Masinde Muliro, we find an individual for whom the principles of fairness, duty and service mattered more than ill-gotten wealth while in Elijah Masinde, we have a rebel with a cause - fighting colonialism to preserve the traditions of our ancestors (misambwa).