Grasp the Shield Firmly the Journey is Hard: A History of Luo and Bantu migrations to North Mara, (Tanzania) 1850-1950

1. Wasurwa

1 WASURWA Wasurwa ndiyo waliotangulia kufika sehemu ya Shirati kuliko makabila mengine yanayokaa humo. Kwa mfano watu wa Ugu wao walikuja nyuma,wakitokeaKademAnekonawatuwaKakseruwaopiawamekuja nyuma ya wa Ugu. Ila Wakine wao walikuja mapema na wakakaa katika milima ya Bwiri wakati Wasurwa walikaa Shirati Sota. Jina hili la Shirati ni jina la mzee wa Wasurwa aliyeishi hapo Sota akitokea huko Gosi na kukaa kwa muda kwenye kisiwa cha Bugingo kabla ya kuja Shirati Sota. Ukoo wa Wasurwa na Mhuru ( watu wa Mihuru wa Kenya) ni watoto wa Mzee Mganga Bin Bwagana, na mama yao aliitwa Musurwa mke wa Bwagana. Na Ukoo wa Wasurwa peke yake ni: 1. Mkisibi, 2. Obembe, 3. Mnaria, 4. Msanwa, 5. Muhama, na 6. Mturi. Wasurwa walitoka Uganda na kuhamia Nyankiancha, ambako ndugu zao watu wa Muhuru walikuwa wametangulia huko. Na kutoka hapo walihama wote na Wamihuru wakaja hadi Gosi, inayoeleweka kama Gwasi, nchi ya Wagasi huko Kenya. Na baadaye Wasurwa wakatangulia kwa mtumbwi wakaingia Mihuru , na pale wakaanza kuwinda kiboko, 1 SURWA The Surwa were the first to come to Shirati before all the other ethnic groups who live there. For example, the people from Ugu arrived after them, coming from Kadem Aneko. The people of Kakseru came even after the Ugu, but the Kine had come here earlier and lived in the Bwiri hills when the Surwa were living in Shirati Sota. The name “Shirati” is the name of an old man from the Surwa who used to live there in Sota after he came from Gosi, and stayed for a while on Bugingo Island before he arrived. The clans of Surwa, from Mihuru in Kenya, were descended from the children of Mzee Mganga Bin Bwagana and his wife Musurwa. The clans of the Surwa are 1. Mkisibi, 2. Obembe, 3. Mnaria, 4. Msanwa, 5. Muhama and 6. Mturi. The Surwa left Uganda and moved to Nyankiancha where their brothers, the people of Muhuru, had settled before them. From there they went together with the Muhuru people to Gosi which is also known as Gwasi, the land of the Gasi of Kenya. Later the Surwa used boats to move to what is known today as Mihuru where they 18 SURA YA KWANZA hawakuweza kuua hata mmoja. Lakini ndugu zao, Muhuru, walipofika nyuma na mtumbwi, siku hiyo hiyo wakawinda kiboko na wakauwa mmoja. Wasurwa walipoona hivyo wao wakaja hadi Sota na pale wakauwa kiboko na wakaamua kukaa pale. Na polepole wakaanza kuhamia sehemu wanapokaa kwa sasa. Utawala wa kwanza wa Wasurwa huko sehemu ya Sota walikuwa Kinyonyi Barisere, aliyefuatwa na Koroba Osunga, na Muhuru.1 Wasurwawalisafirikwamitumbwi,wakifuatanapamojanamitumbwi ya watu wa Mkisiri, ambao kwa sasa wanaitwa Kamsoro, ambao wako ndani ya Wasurwa hadi leo. Mitumbwi iliyobeba Wasurwa ilijulikana kama Mkisiri Obwa Mganga, kabla hawajaingia Sota, walifikia huko Mihuru, maana walikuwa wakifuatana . Na wakati huo baba ya Wasurwa, Mzee Shirati, ndiye alikuwa kiongozi na Mzee Nyahiacha alikuwa kiongozi wa Mihuru. Na inasemekana watu hao wawili walikuwa ndugu, na walipofika pale Mihuru waliachana, huyu Shirati alikuja hadi Sota, ambapo kwa sasa panajulikana kama Shirati Sota, kutokana na jina la huyo Mzee Shirati. Na huyo Nyakiacha, yeye alibaki na wenzake huko Mihuru. Mzee Shirati na watu wake walipofika Sota walikuta kabila la Warumbazi, ambao walikaa sehemu ya Sota pamoja na sehemu ya Wahacha wanayoishi hadi sasa. Hapo pote pia palikuwa sehemu ya hao Warumbazi, nao walionekana kama wa Kuria wa huko juu Tarime. Warumbazi wao walitoweka kabisa machoni pa Wasurwa hata na Wahacha. Warumbazi hao walitoweka baada ya Wahacha kuwafanyia mbinu bila kutumia silaha. Wasurwa wao hawakupigana na Warumbazi, ila walihama wenyewe. Na hakuna vita iliyopiganwa kati ya Wasurwa na makabila waliokuja nyuma kama, Wakakseru, na Wamsangia. Wao kwanza walikaa kwenye mji wa Mugono wa Wakine na ndipo akaja Shirati Sota kwa Wasurwa. Wasurwa wao walipigana vita na watu wa Ugu (Warieri) kati ya makabila yaliyokuwa jirani yake. Hapo awali mtawala alikuwa ni mtu mwenye ujuzi wa kuleta mvua au mganga wa madawa ya kupigana vita, hao ndiyo waliweza kutambulika au kuwekwa kama watawala. Na upande wa Wakine alikuwepo Mzee Mugono, Mganga wa Mvua. Siku moja Msangia kabla hajahama kutoka kwa Wakine alimwendea akamwambia, “Je, mtanifanyaje na watu wangu kuhusu chumvi, maana chumvi inayotumika hapa, hutolewa huko Miramba, karibu na Sota na watu wangu wakienda kuifuata huenda watauwawa na Wasurwa.” 1 Mzee Mbugura na Rupia Kitabarwa, mtoto wa Kitabarwa, Kitabarwa wa Mwita, Mwita wa Serati, Serati wa Makongo, Makongo wa Sirari, Sirari wa Nyankuma, Nyankuma wa Kitumo, Kitumo wa...