Love Portion- What different tribes do
LOVE portions seem to be a big deal in Uganda. Some are exclusive to particular tribes while others are universal.
By Vision Reporter
LOVE portions seem to be a big deal in Uganda. Some are exclusive to particular tribes while others are universal.
Most portions are administered through food, kept in a secret corner in the house, smoked in pipes, planted in compounds, burned like incense or mixed in body lotions and creams. Some of them require the user to chant or recite some words while administering them.
The Baganda
In the central region, love portions range from simple multipurpose herbs in the backyard to rare shrubs in the bush. Some parts of animals like moles and porcupines are used as ingredients. Some of the herbs include varnanonia (kayayana), Nabugira, Kimanjja and Lukikko.
Bakiga
Among the Bakiga, love portions are called kibwankurata, an allegorical reference to a dog on heat that chases the bitch. Women use herbs like chenopodium opulifolium (omwetango) and omusinga with which they brush their teeth in the morning as they chant. In Bunyaruguru, women weave the lion’s fur and wear it around their waists. It is believed to make them strong and commanding as a lion before their husbands.
Banyankore
The Banyankore give a small pot with three holes on the sides, locally known as rukomyo, to a bride on her wedding. This contains herbs with a pleasant scent that acts as a deodorant for the bride.
Some experienced sources say the pot also contains some concoctions to keep a man in ‘high gear’ every time they are smoked in the house.
Some women use some parts of their body like finger nails and pubic hair to keep love alive. “Forget about the herbs and those funny things from witchdoctors,†Geraldine Kakama, a Munyakole woman in her late 50s says.
“They can be harmful and make your man docile. The best and most potent love portion is on your body. Your breast milk, for example, can do wonders,†Kakama says.
She adds that there are many things one can use to keep a man in their pockets. Just as finger nails and hair never stop growing, one can use them to their benefit.
Other women use the private parts of a female crocodile. It is believed that a man sees her as a rare species and constantly runs after her. Feathers of a male crane (monogamous bird) are also said to keep a man glued to a woman.
White cobwebs that stick on walls are given to men so they can ‘stick’.
A herb called ngambe rimwe ogambe kabiri (I have the last say) helps women to make the final decisions without the husbands’ interference. Other herbs are mutima gumwe (one heart) and the oburamata (a herb with tiny fruits which stick onto your clothes) that makes him get stuck on you.
The Basoga
Basoga have the pied wag tail (kanambeya). Some believe it has been hunted to extinction. Among the Congolese, this bird is believed to bring good luck in a marriage if it falls on one’s doorstep.
Bagisu and northern Uganda
Bagisu women take advantage of their men’s love for meat and chicken and put feathers of the sihimbili bird in their spouses’ food as a love portion.
In northern Uganda, love portions can only be got from herbalists from the central region. However, some are from their own medicine men and women who keep it a big secret.
LOVE portions seem to be a big deal in Uganda. Some are exclusive to particular tribes while others are universal.
Most portions are administered through food, kept in a secret corner in the house, smoked in pipes, planted in compounds, burned like incense or mixed in body lotions and creams. Some of them require the user to chant or recite some words while administering them.
The Baganda
In the central region, love portions range from simple multipurpose herbs in the backyard to rare shrubs in the bush. Some parts of animals like moles and porcupines are used as ingredients. Some of the herbs include varnanonia (kayayana), Nabugira, Kimanjja and Lukikko.
Bakiga
Among the Bakiga, love portions are called kibwankurata, an allegorical reference to a dog on heat that chases the bitch. Women use herbs like chenopodium opulifolium (omwetango) and omusinga with which they brush their teeth in the morning as they chant. In Bunyaruguru, women weave the lion’s fur and wear it around their waists. It is believed to make them strong and commanding as a lion before their husbands.
Banyankore
The Banyankore give a small pot with three holes on the sides, locally known as rukomyo, to a bride on her wedding. This contains herbs with a pleasant scent that acts as a deodorant for the bride.
Some experienced sources say the pot also contains some concoctions to keep a man in ‘high gear’ every time they are smoked in the house.
Some women use some parts of their body like finger nails and pubic hair to keep love alive. “Forget about the herbs and those funny things from witchdoctors,†Geraldine Kakama, a Munyakole woman in her late 50s says.
“They can be harmful and make your man docile. The best and most potent love portion is on your body. Your breast milk, for example, can do wonders,†Kakama says.
She adds that there are many things one can use to keep a man in their pockets. Just as finger nails and hair never stop growing, one can use them to their benefit.
Other women use the private parts of a female crocodile. It is believed that a man sees her as a rare species and constantly runs after her. Feathers of a male crane (monogamous bird) are also said to keep a man glued to a woman.
White cobwebs that stick on walls are given to men so they can ‘stick’.
A herb called ngambe rimwe ogambe kabiri (I have the last say) helps women to make the final decisions without the husbands’ interference. Other herbs are mutima gumwe (one heart) and the oburamata (a herb with tiny fruits which stick onto your clothes) that makes him get stuck on you.
The Basoga
Basoga have the pied wag tail (kanambeya). Some believe it has been hunted to extinction. Among the Congolese, this bird is believed to bring good luck in a marriage if it falls on one’s doorstep.
Bagisu and northern Uganda
Bagisu women take advantage of their men’s love for meat and chicken and put feathers of the sihimbili bird in their spouses’ food as a love portion.
In northern Uganda, love portions can only be got from herbalists from the central region. However, some are from their own medicine men and women who keep it a big secret.