Omugane gwokubanza: Ishe Katabazi 1

Midi pic

I've been debating if I should share these stories in my mother tongue--Rukiga--or English. I might end up doing both. I would like to maintain the Rukiga structure and if I translate them into English, I may play with form, aiming for brevity, cutting out repetitions, and perhaps even writing in a more epic poetry manner than oral story. I might also put a modern spin on both and see how that goes. Be my own trickster on what was and now is or could be. This being a project in the making. Anyway, decisions aside, here's the first story involving a character named Ishe-Katabaazi.

Obu Ishe-Katabaazi yayetenga ente zamutahiwe

Ishe-Katabaazi akatwara ente ze kweshera ahamugyera reero kuyaba nahikayo yareeba omushaija ayine ente nungi munonga. Ishe-Katabaazi yazetenga, yatandika kushara amagyezi oku arazitungye. Yatandika kutekyereza juba, yayijuka ngu omushaija ogwo akaba agyira obuhembe gwangire kukira. kuyokumuringaringa, akabasa kutunga ente zomushaija ziboneire munonga. Asyo atandika kweshera ente ze, buri emwe arikugyiha eiziina. "Nywa'maizi gawe bihogo," "Gyenda omumaisho kyomya," "Kifefe gyend'onywe," "Kyamate wunatungyire nakyiza omuhembe," agumizamu nayeta buri nte eiziina. Reero omushaija ahurikyiza, asharamu kumubuza oku arikumanya eiziina ryokuha ente, okukyira eyiyagambamu omuhembe. Ishe-Katabaazi amugarukamu ati, "manya ente egyo nkagitunga obunakyiza omuntu wabaire aine omuhembe. Akampa ente eitaano, eriya, neriya..." asyo azibara. Omushaija agambira Ishe-Katabaazi ku agyira omuhembe. Ishe-Katabaazi amugarukamu amugambira ku nagukiza. Omushaija amubuza ekyiyokumuha. Ishe Katabaazi agamba ente eitaano eziyokwetoranira. Reero bikirizangana, Ishe-Katabaazi atwara ente, agambira omushaija aharamushangye akamuha omubazi gwokutamba omuhembe. Omushaija aheza kweshera ente ze, ataaha aine amashemererwa mingyi.

Omwebazyo guhika, Ishe-Katabazi afuuta eshenda nyingyi, azijwanza norwamba gwentaama. Kwaheza, agyita omukyanzi atwarira nyamushaija, amugambira kugunaabisa omukanwa kwonka atagumira. Omushaija akanwa kashariira kwonka ayehangana, nomubazi amiraho kakye, reero ebihinzi bitandika kuragara.

Ishe-Katabaazi akaba yamugyizire ngu kwarareebe ebihinzi byaretwa omunyindo, amanye ngu omubazi niguza kumutambira. Asyo ashemererwa, amanya ngu yaaza kukyira. Kwonka ekyobusaasi, omuhembe tigurakizire, reero omushaija atandika kwefuuza ente ze ziyahaire Ishe-Katabaazi.