Ever wondered what comes with a name tag? If not, you should be asking yourself the origin and meaning of your name.
When a baby is born it’s always the joy of every parent and after delivery what comes next is which name to be given to the baby.
Different communities had a way of naming their babies regardless of when, why, or how often it happens, though, the giving and receiving of a name was an event of major importance and the significance of names was emphasized by rituals that almost always had a deeper meaning.
An example of communities that perfected and valued naming of children at birth are the Tachonis who share land with the Bukusu tribe and they mainly live in Webuye, chetambe hills ndivisi in Bungoma county and the former Lugari district in Kakamega county of which most them speak ‘lubukusu’ a dialect of the luhya language something that makes them mistaken with bukusus.
They too spread in the county of Transnzoia and parts of Busia County
According to the chairman of the Tachonis Lieutenant See Wekesa who Is also a writer on cultural economic and political matters, child naming among the that community was very vital and one would name according to season, after a prominent person, according to beauty, physical appearances, complexion, genealogy, events amongst other factors.
See Wekesa says ritual naming involved the elders who would assemble, observe the child and give a name.
He says there are those children who after being named would refuse the names and therefore endlessly cry. In such cases they would start naming the child afresh and if it continued crying they would change names until they settle to one that it would finally accept and stop crying.
There are those parents who would stay for long without bearing children but after some time God would bless them. Such children would be named as Mubande for either sex. For male children who would be born between a log break of a first or second child would be names as chesome.
“In communities like our Bukusu neighbours twins would be named as Mulongo and Mukhwana but in tachonis as far as they believed that one of the twins had to die and not survive if were first borns naming of the twins was not very important and they would be given any names” he said.
We had children who had protruding umbilical cords, such like also had special names I like “Sikhoya, Werenjekha or Sinavatende”.
When it came to physical appearances short or tall people had their names too and this came later after growth had taken place. Such names included “Kisiangani, Toili for tall ones and a name like “Situma” would be given to short ones.
In females when a child was born beautiful, names like Wakasa, Khakasa would be given and to the first borns they would be called Khavere, while those born while the sun was rising would be given names like Khasoa”
There were cases where parents would want to name their children after the living whom they felt were important. Such like happened when the living would bless the children and accept to be named after them. But when they died, the child would not be allowed at the graveside
There were names that were picked from English too like Litolwa which meant picked from war while Laisikwa meant ran away from war,
Seasons also played a major role in child naming like for example if it were raining
children would be named as Wafula/Nafula, during mud or weeding Namarome while harvesting they would be called Wekesa or Nekesa
Parents were also warned against naming after bad people, harsh or those who died through committing suicide, killed themselves or even their dignity in the community was wanting,
See Wekesa is also quick to note out that unlike our forefathers the current generation is lost when it comes to child naming. Most of the young parents have resolved to googling from the internet names for their children others not knowing their meanings which later the child adopts to the character named after.
