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How was the oral literature material communicated in the pre-colonial period?

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1.Narratives
An example is in a story recorded by Bole Odaga from the Giriama people. The story is
about a beautiful girl who had an eye disease. Her mother had said that the person who
would heal her of the eye disease would take her as wife without paying any dowry. Many
suitors loved her but could not cure her so they always went back so they always went
back disappointed. However, one young man was able to cure her using some herbs and
took her as a wife. The other suitors tried to seduce her but she refused. One day however
she followed one of them to the disappointment of her husband. The husband then
afflicted the girl with her old disease and she left her new husband going back to her
mother. Her mother scolded her and called her first husband who cured her and took her
back happily.
This narrative has a teaching about family life and values.

2.Song
An example of a song is a lullaby collected by Ruth Finnegan
Oral Literature in Africa (1970) whose source is the Banyoro. The ayah sings for the
baby but is also expressing her own sentiments against the baby's mother. She is
condemning selfishness and lack of concern for servants who work but their masters/mistresses are not grateful to them.

Banyoro Lullaby
Ha! That mother who takes her food alone Ha! That mother
before she has eaten
Ha! That mother says, “Lull the children for me!” Ha! That mother
when she has finished eating, Ha! That mother says “Give the
child to me!”
There are many other examples which you can also get from your own communities. Try
to get some and explain them on your own.

3.Proverbs
Proverbs also tell a lot in either correction or ridicule of society vices. A Kiswahili
proverb: “Asiyesikia la mkuu huvunjika guu.” means that if you don't listen to elders you
ruin your life. This is meant to castigate disobedience.

4.Riddles
Riddles can tell us a lot about the social economic activities and our environment. An
example is in Bukenya and Muigai Wa Gachanja?s collections.
(i)Each of my children has beards – maize cobs.
This shows that wherever the source of the riddle was from, the economic activity there
was farming.

Titany answered the question on November 11, 2021 at 07:32

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How was the oral literature material communicated in the pre-colonial period?

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