Monday, 10 December 2012

KISUMU'S NATURE:KIT MIKAYI THE WEEPING ROCK

Kit Mikayi is a large rock with three rocks on top,  is located off Kisumu-Bondo Road towards Bondo, It stands tall above many surrounding rocks in Kangeso village. The 70 ft to 80 ft stone is also a weeping rock.
It posses like a woman with a load on her back.
FOLKLORES SURROUNDING THE LEGENDARY STONE
According to the Luo folklore, Kit Mikayi, mother of the tribe, rested up near Ndere Island, The smallest game reserve in Kenya after her long journey south down the Nile valley. She found the shore lines so pleasing that she and her people stayed.
Folklore also exists about the cause of the rock weeping. It’s believed that Mikayi, “the first wife” went up the hill to the stones when her husband took a second wife, and has been weeping ever since.
Another legend about the weeping rock exists of a man who was in love with the stone. He could wake up in the morning and walk into the cave inside the stone and stay there the whole day forcing his wife to bring him breakfast and lunch every day. The old man become passionately in love with this stone to the extent that if somebody asked his wife the of his whereabouts , the wife would answer that he has gone to visit his first wife-Mikayi hence the stone of the first wife is Kit Mikayi.
OTHER SIGNIFICANCES THAT SURROUND THE STONE
Apart from the folklores, the stone’s features and structure represents the Luo cultural polygamous family which had the first wife’s house (Mikayi) built  in between, on the right hand side was the second wife’s house (Nyachira) while the third wife’s house (Reru) was built on the left hand side of the homestead.
Another significance can be derived from the stone’s structure is that it depicts a typical Luo family-Ngeso the father being the middle stone, followed by the bulky Mikay(first wife),the Nyachira (second wife) followed by Reru (third wife) and further in front there is another rock representing the simba, the firstborn’s house.
MYTHS
Myths exist of the rock being relied in ancient times for fortune. This gave the rock a lot of prominence and fame as people from all walks of life visited the rock for a variety of reasons such as Rain making, wealth accumulation, warfare, longevity, spiritual cleansing e.t.c.
During dry spells elders could converge along the entrance of the rock for meditation and soul searching , where a wanderous snake called Nyang’idi would decide if they could gain passage into the rock depending on the level of meditation and soul searching. If allowed entry the elders would take part in rituals and in the same evening the snake would move to the lake through some underground tunnel down the rock base and create huge clouds full of mist travelling in the form of mist into the skies called Nyakoi which later transformed to rain.
RELIGION
Of late it has become a popular local pilgrimage site for adherents of the Legio Maria sect who come to the rock to pray and fast for several weeks at a time.

 For more information check out our blog: www.kisumucitycouncil.wordpress.com

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