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In the past (long be4 we were all born) this would be a nice place 4 a young man to ambush & sweet talk a gal coming from the well. Hell, he would even offer to carry the pot for her up the hill. Of course the gal was expected to pay in kind... by agreeing to become the guy's wife. In those days, dating using money & 'kukuula ebinyo' was unheard of.

Lol Kaks - trust you to turn it to such a scenario!!!  Then again though you are speaking out what most would rather stay schtum about... LOL.  But detoothing even then I think was happening, just that the battering consisted of different goodies...

Qsheeba, that's one beautiful scenary but it makes me feel so cold just picturing maself going through there.  I did carry water - at times it was said it was due to this chore why my height was stunted!  will elaborate more back on the thread for chores as to why...  thanks for sharing this photo.  The scenary where I used to carry water uphill etc was in a very arid area of Busoga - I tell you, such plantations were unheard of!

SB

LOL I think I'm only 5'4" because those heavy things like water and firewood, I curried on my head, I should have been 5'6" at least.  My daughters who did not have to do these kind of chores are 5'8" and 5'5"...............LOL I'm just kidding there is no scientific study to prove it.

I don't think that carrying water is responsible for your height (or rather for your shortness) But what do you think, why many African women have such upright figures and such a beautiful way of moving? This certainly is the result of carrying goods - maybe not water - on the head.

I certainly had to do household chores from my earliest years. Fortunately it was not carrying water. I always considered this very hard and do hope that one day nobody will have to carry water anymore anywhere in the world.

I forgot to mention that the path through the bananas is a really idyllic one

agree with sonia about the posture and good carriage balancing pots and such on the head gives african women a gracefull way of carrying themselves not to mention long neck (but ofcourse not very heavy stuff)

Just as well we had this chore to carry out - think how expensive ballet lessons would've cost us!

Your pic reminds me of my grandparents lusuku.  We used to go out very early in the morning to pick butunda- the green hard ones!  Uh they were yummy those butunda.   I also remember the tapo we  played there!  I now feel like I've deprived my kids of real fun!!

Ahaa, this is the foto - kabisa kabisa!

Imagine going down the hilll to collect water early in the morning  before going to school. and then, you have to prepare to run to school for classes before you report late and avoid kiboko for being a late comer to school. The early morning water collecting and the legs kissing the early morning dew and the long walk to school -- all remind me of Childhood Tears.

It was work, but yes it gave us the character training  I think !

But the water was never enough for all of the family members , and at other times you had fallen or slipped and poured the water -- hey , some time back it was the clay pots for water carrying - remember? the jerrycans have come of recent !

That ka path reminds of the good old days.The greenery is magnificent indeed.To me going to the village was like a treat and a break from the hussle and bustling of the city. Yes carrying water in debbes and jerricans was the norm. I often dropped my debbe or jerican when I could not make it to the hill. Going to the Well is easy downhill but coming back was the hardest. It was fun though when you have to go with all the village kids. It is so adventurous when you stop on the way to pick mapera and miyembe. Forgetting that Granmother has no water for cooking at home. The only scary part is when I was sen tto the next homestead at my uncles place. I had to go through the ka path near the grave sites(amalalo). In the evenings when its getting dark there seemed to be a big wind blowing the banana leaves. I could come dashing through the plantation to my destination. I feared the ghosts could be chasing me.I know my granfathers ghost would not scare me but I was a child. Send me near this path today even at midnight I will walk without fear.

I miss Masaka and my ka Village. Cant wait to go back as now I hear the villagers enjoy electricity and pumped water from the river. No more tadoobas, jericans, at least for me. I am too old for that. My neck is as strong as ever. Looking back they were teaching us survival tips but we saw them as chores of torture. Hmmm! that was an experience.

Naomi if you are new to the forum welcome and thank you for appriciating the picture.  If you are new I' m posting a new Rose for you.  Please do come back

Thanks so much for the Rose. I appreciate so much. I love roses though I have never recieved fresh real ones. But thanks alot

Naomi sorry to disuade you thoz tadoobas have to work not with load shedding lol........

Yeah the pix is good can be any where in Ug or Africa for that matter and i wd like to say those chores carrying water, firewood, cooking made us what we r. We r finer stuff from the early work but mention that to today's children they will tell of child rights lol........So looking back you shoud thank the WaZeeis for a good job done.

Btw...Kaks bring that subject back u must have been the naughty one who went pinching the bu poor gals butts and way laying the from the Well to chat them up lol lol......teheheheheheee....

Butterfly you brought me rib breaking laughter. That is funny. The bu tadoobas are indeed pulled out from the sheves in loadshedding emergencies.Those who have the portable flourescent lamps are not badly off. But one has to charge the lamps  the day b4 the load shedding sets in . Very unpredictable and annoying. Seem the folks out there know the days  when they get loadshedding and are not taken by surprise

It's reminds me when i was a kid, and in attendance at Kitagobwa Primary School in kasangati Gayaza by then M7 was in da bush.

QS, it's a pity I had not heard of UGPulse until I joined, I issed all these lovely pics. I now know what you look like too!

Naomi, love you loads, mwana we Masaka! That was my Ka - village too. How I miss it, going swiming in the rivers with bitoogo, and chasing Enkwale and

enkofu. that was fun.

Yii BF! I did no such thing (getting the such ideas is no crime I guess). However, having a dip in the bitoogo (just like Lwanga) was my speciality. Can u imagine I once tried 2 cross the swamp sailing in a large basin (baafu)! Hahaha. I capsized on all attempts...

There were eels living at the bottom of the spring and we would jump in and try 2 grab them with our bare hands. Altho I touched them, I never caught any (those things r too slippery) but I received enough punishment when the elders found out wot took us so long fetching the water...

kaks, that's very funny! I hated creepy crawlies even then and would avoid anything that included bitoogo.

Lwanga speaking of enkofu, isnt' it illegal to eat them?

Yiiiiiiiiiii! ! vision whoever told you that! We used to Kutega{trap} these things and Muchomo them as part of our fetching water chore. You were always looking forward to check whether you caught any. Ha haha They are rewaly smart so to say.

I have probaly confused them with guniea fowl! When i was in a restaurant in Madagascar the waitress brought a text message for me to translate when she realised I spoke English. I think someone was enquiring if  they served guniea fowl and she asked what it was. For lack of a way of explaining it I simply said it's an African chicken that's foudn in the wild and it's illegal to catch it and eat it in Africa:-)

you really spoit it for them.

well I dont know the only place I had seen live guniea fowl was QNEP and I know for a fact that you cant catch them and eat  them from the park without being arrested if caught

Imagine the LUSUKU was the centre of life, like a provider of life. From food, to toys; beddings, baskets, house building, dumping ground, even birth, to medicine. anyone recalls making a dolly from EBYAYI, and footballs too! when that ball got wet, it was as heavy as a stone. The banana trees we used to make GOGOLO and go back home with tone shorts to face the music.

The beddings made from dried leaves[ SANJA]. They also used to make beer from banana juice, which was put in a boat and covered with sanja.

And girls used to give birth holding on to banana trees! No ICU'S OR IV'S, OR EPDURALS!

Remember our ka-toilet was also in Lusuku and imagine going there at night after food time with a KATADOOBA  and the wind blows it out, leaving you to run back in terror.

Stories of night dancers making noise at nite!

What more can I say, man thanks for that pic, it says millions.

Admin

I would like to nominate this photo as the one which has brought more childhood memories to everyone.  Not that because I took the photo, but it has just brought a lot to all.

Thank you all who looked and visited this photo, I have enjoyed reading everyone's childhood memories...........Oh how much we had fun trying to get along.  Lwanga  you are right the Lusuku was the giver of life and yet it was so scary for young ppl.

PS when did the "ka" enter our everyday vanacular?  The ka bag, ka toilet, ka tadooba?

I guess language evolves(sp)