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Luhya CultureTable of ContentsTopic pageLocation 1Language 2Food 3Beliefs, values and religion 4

Clothing 5Craft, hobbies and economic activities 6Lifestyle and cultural practices 7Luhya people and sports 8References 9 LocationThe Luhya people are mostly found in the Western part of Kenya. They occupythe Western province, and the west – central part of Rift Valley province.According to the last national population census conducted in 1989, the luhyapeople number just over 3 million, making up over 10 percent pf Kenya’s totalpopulation. The luhya are the second largest ethnic group of Kenya, after thekikuyu. Though most luhya live in Western Kenya, especially in the rural areas,an increasingly large number of luhya have migrated to major urban places likeNairobi in search of employment and educational opportunities. Almost900,000 luhya people live outside western province. This is approximately 30percent of the total luhya population.

LanguageThere is no single luhya language. Rather, there are several commonlyunderstood languages that are principally Bantu. Perhaps the most identifyinglinguistic feature of the various luhya languages is the use of the prefix aba- orava-, meaning “of” belonging to. “Thus for example, Abalogoli or avalogolimeans people of logoli”. FoodBreakfast among the luhya consists mainly of tea. The preferred tea is madewith plenty of milk and sugar. For those who can afford it, wheat breadbrought from the stores is eaten with tea. Tea and bread, however are tooexpensive for many families to eat on a regular basis; consequently, porridgemade of maize, millet, or finger millet flour is consumed instead. Lunch andsupper often consists of ovukima –maize flour added to boiling water andcooked into a thick paste similar to American grits. Ovukima is eaten with

various vegetables such as kale and collard greens, and for those who canafford it, beef or chicken. Chicken is a delicacy and is prepared for importantguests or for special occasions. Beliefs, Values and ReligionThe beliefs and values of the luhya culture. One of them is that luhyas believedand worshipped only one god. Secondly, the luhya culture believed that theyhad a leader called Lwanda Magere who passed away a long time ago. And hewas physically strong that is why the luhyas are believed to be physicallystrong.Christianity was introduced to the luthayaland and to the rest of the Kenya.Christianity spread widely during that period of time. The overwhelmingmajority of luhya people now consider themselves Christians. Both Catholicismand Protestantism are practiced. Among the Abawanga, Islam is also practiced.

Despite conversion to Christianity, belief in spirits and witchcraft is stillcommon. It is not rare to find people offering prayers in church and at the sametime consulting with doctors or medicine men for assistance with problems. ClothingThe luhya dress just like Kenyans, they wear locally manufactured and importeddresses, pants, shirts and many more. Traditional clothing is usually wornduring special occasions and only by certain people. In cultural dances,performers can put on feathered hats and skirts made of sisal strands. For theluhya groups that still maintain the traditional circumcision rites. During wareven luhyas used to paint themselves with frightening colours and worefrightening apparel such as horns. Women never wear pants because if theywear them they are considered to be abnormal. It is particularly inappropriatefor women to wear a pant or a short skirt or dress in the presence of theirfather-in-law. Earrings, necklaces and bangles bracelets are commonly worn bywomen. Luhya men used to wear the skin of a goat or a calf. It was passedunder one armpit and fastened with a strap over the opposite shoulder. Theskin hung in this position, it was not sufficient enough to cover the whole body;what the man did was to shift it every time to cover that part of the body whichfaced the people he was supposed to respect.

Crafts, Hobbies and Economic ActivitiesPottery and basket weaving is quite common in the luhya culture, particularlyin the rural areas. Baskets are made from the leaves of the date palms thatgrow on the river banks. Increasingly sisal is used. Body ornaments such asbangle, bracelets, necklaces and earrings are mass produced commercially inKenya or are imported. Luhyas are involved in almost every sector of Kenya’seconomy. For example, in most urban areas, there are many luhyas working asprofessionals as there are working as semi-skilled labourers. In their nativeWestern Kenya region, Luhyas practice farming and agriculture, growingsugarcane and other cash crop specific to the region. Most of the sugarconsumed in Kenya is produced in Mumias, a luhya land. Other agriculturalproducts grown by the luhya include corn and wheat.

Lifestyle and Cultural PracticesLuhyas practiced polygamy, and a man got more respect depending on thenumber of wives he had. This is because only a wealthy man could afford to paydowry for several wives. Dowry was paid in form of cattle, sheep or goats.Today, polygamy is no longer practiced, but dowry payment is still revered insome luhya communities. Instead of giving cattle, sheep or goats as bride price,one may pay dowry in form of money.bull fighting is a cultural practice by the luhya community in Western Kenya.Bull fighting is considered as a form of sport by the luhya and is usuallyperformed to honour visitors considered as being important or during specialoccasions. The number of bulls generally varies depending on importance of theceremony. These ceremonies attract thousands of people and are characterised

by beating of the isukuti drums, intense dancing by the crowd and taunting ofthe bulls so as to give them morale. Luhya and Sports PlayedVarious games and sports are played by luhyas. Jumping rope is very popularamong girls. The jumping is counted and sometimes accompanied by rhythmicsongs. Hide and seek are common among both boys and girls. Soccer is themost popular game among boys. Any open ground can serve as a playing field.Adult sports include soccer for men, and to a lesser extent, netball for women.Netball is somehow like basketball, only the ball is not dribbled. School based-sports also include track and field events. The most popular spectator sport issoccer, and some of the best soccer players in Kenya are luhya.

Luhya people are great enthusiasts, especially when it comes to rugby andfootball. Many luhya show wide support for the AFC Leopards soccer club,which they consider to be their own. The club was created in the early 1960sunder the name of abaluhya football club, and has traditionally had a bitterrivalry with Gor Mahia FC, a club 14 References5 Weird Kenyan Cultural Practices. (2015, March 18). Retrieved October 18, 2017, fromhttps://buzzkenya.com/weird-kenyan-cultural-practices/Kenya's second largest ethnic tribe. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2017, from http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/luhya-tribe.htmlLuhya. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2017, from http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Japan-to-Mali/Luhya.html(n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2017, from http://www.luhya.net/HTML_files/clothing.html

Done By: Muhammad Zahid Jiwani