Mfangano Island
Encyclopedia
Mfangano Island lies in the eastern part of Lake Victoria
, at the mouth of the Winam Gulf
. Part of Kenya
, it lies west of Rusinga Island
. The island is 65 km² in area and rises to 1,694 m at Mount Kwitutu. It had a population of 16,282 as of 1999 census of population. Administratively, Mfangano is one of five divisions of Suba District
of Nyanza Province
.
The island is home to the largest population of Olusuba or Suba people
language speakers in Kenya. Olusuba is becoming rarer, in part because of intermarriage between Suba men and Luo women from the mainland, as it is traditional for children to learn "mother tongue," that is, the language of their mother. Other languages spoken on the island include Luo, Swahili, and English. Members of the Luo tribe are concentrated on the eastern side of the island, most of whom are fishermen and subsistence farmers. Some of the inhabitants of Mfangano are believed to be descendants of emigrants from the Buganda kingdom in Uganda who arrived after the controversial early nineteenth century killing of the kabaka juju.
Most inhabitants live near the water for ease in fishing and collecting the day's water supply. The water's edge of the island is quite rocky with a few black sandy shores. Transportation consists mostly walking and of boat travel in small wooden handmade boats that sometimes have a sail. There are a few bicycles now that the government has begun to cut in a road that will circle the island on which motorbikes will run. The first ever car to be driven on the island's soil was on Feb 2 2007. It was driven 500 m. In it was Road and Public Services Hon. Simeon Nyachae, MP. There is a small dirt landing strip for small planes. This is used mostly for tourists and mission workers.
Mfangano is also known for its ancient rock art
, possibly 2,000 years old and thought to have been created by early forager-hunters, perhaps a Twa people.
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, at the mouth of the Winam Gulf
Winam Gulf
Winam Gulf is a significant extension of northeastern Lake Victoria into western Kenya.Formerly known as Kavirondo Gulf, Nyanza Gulf, and Lake Nyanza Gulf, it is a shallow inlet and is connected to the main lake by Rusinga Channel , which is partly masked from the main body of the lake by islands...
. Part of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, it lies west of Rusinga Island
Rusinga Island
Rusinga Island, with an elongated shape approx. 10 miles from end to end and 3 miles at its widest point, lies in the eastern part of Lake Victoria at the mouth of the Winam Gulf...
. The island is 65 km² in area and rises to 1,694 m at Mount Kwitutu. It had a population of 16,282 as of 1999 census of population. Administratively, Mfangano is one of five divisions of Suba District
Suba District
Suba District is an administrative district in the Nyanza Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Mbita Point. The district has a population of 155,666 and an area of 1,055 km² . Suba district is named after the Suba people, who inhabit local Rusinga and Mfangano Islands.The district has two...
of Nyanza Province
Nyanza Province
Nyanza Province of Kenya, is one of Kenya's eight administrative provinces. It is located in the southwest part of Kenya around Lake Victoria. Nyanza includes part of the eastern edge of Lake Victoria and is inhabited predominantly by the Luo. There are also Bantu-speaking tribes such as the...
.
The island is home to the largest population of Olusuba or Suba people
Suba (Kenya)
The Suba are a people in Kenya who speak the Suba language. Their population is estimated at under 30,000, making them one of the country's smallest tribes. They migrated to Kenya from Uganda and settled on the two Lake Victoria islands of Rusinga and Mfangano, and are believed to be the last...
language speakers in Kenya. Olusuba is becoming rarer, in part because of intermarriage between Suba men and Luo women from the mainland, as it is traditional for children to learn "mother tongue," that is, the language of their mother. Other languages spoken on the island include Luo, Swahili, and English. Members of the Luo tribe are concentrated on the eastern side of the island, most of whom are fishermen and subsistence farmers. Some of the inhabitants of Mfangano are believed to be descendants of emigrants from the Buganda kingdom in Uganda who arrived after the controversial early nineteenth century killing of the kabaka juju.
Most inhabitants live near the water for ease in fishing and collecting the day's water supply. The water's edge of the island is quite rocky with a few black sandy shores. Transportation consists mostly walking and of boat travel in small wooden handmade boats that sometimes have a sail. There are a few bicycles now that the government has begun to cut in a road that will circle the island on which motorbikes will run. The first ever car to be driven on the island's soil was on Feb 2 2007. It was driven 500 m. In it was Road and Public Services Hon. Simeon Nyachae, MP. There is a small dirt landing strip for small planes. This is used mostly for tourists and mission workers.
Mfangano is also known for its ancient rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
, possibly 2,000 years old and thought to have been created by early forager-hunters, perhaps a Twa people.
Sources
- Ogone John Obiero. "A Case of a Mother Tongue and Another Mother Tongue in School: Efforts at Revitalization of Olosuba Language in Kenya." Journal of Third World Studies. vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 267-291.