A Drink of Noble Intention.

Let us depart for a moment from the rûthiomi, the tongue. Let us look at something that the Agîkûyû held dear to their own existence, something that holds an unparalleled importance in their spiritual life as well as in their cultural practices.

I will introduce you to the world of Nongorio. Kûrongoria. This is, in simple, a kind of deep intention. When you say ‘may you prosper’, for example, you are being intentional about a prayer you have for that person to whom the blessing is directed. In African cultures, most of these Nongorio were spoken symbolically. We will understand this better when we look at certain examples.

Stay with me as we unpack Mûratina, a very special pillar of the Gîkûyû ûndûire, their culture. We shall see how holistic and intentional the drink was, from its constitution to its use. In this post we shall examine Mûratina’s ingredients and for each, it’s intended blessing, it’s Nongorio.

Mûratina is made of maaî (water), ûûki(honey), kîgwa(sugarcane) and kîratina(the fruit of Mûratina, the Sausage tree).

1. Maaî. Water is definitely the main ingredient of this drink. Remember what we said about maaî? About it being the truth? What better way to begin? The Nongorio: May you never thirst. May you be like water to the world, to people. Wherever you go, may you quench thirst. Thirst for love, peace, wisdom….

2. Úûki. Honey. The maker of Mûratina (we shall talk about this later, it’s a whole other topic!) would use honey as another ingredient of this sacred drink.

Nongorio: may you be as sweet as this honey, made by the bees from the sweetest nectar. May you sweeten all the places and gatherings you find yourself in..

3. Kîgwa. Sugarcane. Now, if you have seen sugarcane, you will notice that it grows in parts that are separated by joints. These parts are called marûngo. When one is done the other begins. The Nongorio? May you grow in marûngo, like the kîgwa. Do not miss a stage of life. Enjoy being a child, and may your childhood not spill over into your youth, etc. And as you grow, may you flow with the sweet juices of life and love…

4. Kîratina, the fruit of the Mûratina tree.

Now, the Sausage tree produces an intriguing fruit. The kîratina is not harvested from the tree. It is picked up from the ground when it falls, when its time finally comes. It is also full of seeds. Many, many seeds. I know you already see the Nongorio here: may you fall from the tree only when your time comes.ay you die of old age. When your work is done.. Not of disease or by accident. May you never be plucked from life’s tree. Also, may you be full of seed, may your descendants be as numerous as the seeds of this kîratina. May you also be abundant, may you never lack..

Beautiful, eh?

There is so much to share, so much beauty to go around. Now, the things that I write about are meant to ignite an interest in your rûthiomi, so that from there you can see in true color the beauty of your people. We will later look at how and where, and by whom, Mûratina was used.

Thank you so very much for staying with me. Let us continue to share the beauty of our people. So that when we arrive at the table of nations we can tell our own stories, rather than parroting those of others. Welcome home.

Ninii, Waiyaki.

Nîtûkundane ûthaka wiitû.

(Let us drink together from our beauty.)