Luhya (; also Luyia, Oluluyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a
Bantu language
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu language, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern, East Africa, Eastern and Southeast Africa, South ...
of
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
.
Dialects
The various
Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are no closer to each other than they are to neighboring non-Luhya languages. For example, the
Bukusu people are ethnically Luhya, but the
Bukusu dialect is a variety of
Masaba. (See
Luhya people
The Luhya (also known as ''Abaluhyia'' or Luhyia) are a Bantu people and the second largest ethnic group in Kenya. The Luhya belong to the larger linguistic stock known as the Bantu. The Luhya are located in Western Province (Kenya), western Ken ...
for details.) However, there is a core of
mutually intelligible
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between different but related language varieties in which speakers of the different varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. Mutual intellig ...
dialects that comprise Luhya proper:
*Wanga
*Tsotso
*Marama
*Kisa
*Kabras
*East Nyala
All Luhya subtribes
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Banyala
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Bukusu
The Bukusu people ( Bukusu: ''Babukusu'') are one of the 17 Kenyan tribes of the Luhya Bantu people of East Africa residing mainly in the counties of Bungoma and Trans Nzoia. They are the largest tribe of the Luhya nation, with 1,188,963 id ...
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Gisu people
The Gisu people, or ''Bamasaba'' people of Elgon, are a Bantu peoples, Bantu tribe and Bantu-speaking ethnic group of the Masaba people in eastern Uganda, closely related to the Bukusu people of Kenya. Bamasaba live mainly in the Mbale District of ...
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Idakho
The Idakho ''(Abitakho, Idakho, Abidakho)'' are a Luhya sub-group that reside primarily in the fertile Kakamega District, Western Kenya. Idakho is administratively known as Ikolomani, Ikolomani being the only Constituency in the region.
As is t ...
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Isukha
The Isukha, are a tribe of the Luhya nation of Kenya. Among the Luhya, the Isukha are known as ''Abiisukha''. They reside Kakamega District neighboured by the Idakho and the Tiriki. They perform the traditional celebratory dance known as Isukuti ...
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Kabras
The Kabras, or Kabarasi, are a subtribe of the Luhya people of Kenya. They reside in Malava in the Kabras Division of Kakamega District, which is neighboured by the Isukha, Banyala, Tsotso, and the Tachoni. The exact origin of the Luhya people i ...
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Khayo
The Khayo is a sub tribe of the Luhya people of Kenya. They reside in Busia County, by the Kenya-Uganda border. Their Luhya neighbors are the Samia, Marachi, Wanga and Bukusu. The Bakhayo border the Bukusu on the East, the Republic of Uganda and ...
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Kisa tribe
The Kisa, also known as ''Abakisa'' or ''Abashisa,'' are one of the sixteen tribes of the Luhya nation of Kenya. They occupy the Kisa area within the Khwisero division of Butere-Mumias district. The Kisa are sandwiched between the Marama of ...
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Marachi
The Marachi are one of sixteen tribes of the Luhya people of Kenya, making up approximately one percent of the Luyha.Kremer, Michael, and Edward Miguel. ''Networks, social learning, and technology adoption: the case of deworming drugs in Kenya''. ...
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Maragoli
The Maragoli, or Logoli (''Ava-Logooli''), are now the second-largest ethnic group of the 6 million Luhya nation in Kenya, numbering around 2.1 million, or 15% of the Luhya people according to the last Kenyan census. Their language is calle ...
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Marama
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Masaaba
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Nyole
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Samia
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Tachoni
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Tiriki
Tiriki Clan
The Tiriki is a tribe consisting of 16 clans and dialects of the Abaluyia people of Western Kenya. The word ''Tiriki'' is also used to refer to their geographical location of Hamisi subcounty, Vihiga County, in the Western region of ...
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Tsotso
The Tsotso or ''Abatsotso'' are a tribe of the Luhya nation in Kenya. They occupy three locations in Lurambi division of Kakamega District. The three locations are Bukura, north Butsotso and south Butsotso.
See also
* Luhya people
* Luhya langua ...
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Wanga
The Wanga kingdom is a traditional Realm, kingdom within Kenya, consisting of the Wanga (Abawanga) tribe of the Luhya people (Abaluyia). At its peak the kingdom covered an expansive area from Jinja, Uganda, Jinja in west to Naivasha in the East ...
Comparison
A comparison between two dialects of Luhya proper, and to two other Bantu languages spoken by the Luhya:
Comparison to Bantu
Phonology
The following is the phonology of the Luwanga dialect:
Vowels
Consonants
External links
Eshitabo Eshiokhulaama nende Tsisakalamendo nende Akebiima Bindi Bieikanisa1967 Anglican liturgical text digitized by Richard Mammana
References
Musimbi Kanyoro (1989), "The Abaluyia of Kenya; one people, one language: What can be learned from the Luyia project": ''The Abaluyia of Western Kenya.'' (p. 27).Wanga-English Dictionary
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