When tradition dictates when a wife can mourn

Wives and daughters, among the Luo, would weep only early in the morning and late in the evening. [Courtesy]

When Miriam Akinyi lost her husband three years ago, she was not allowed to mourn. Being the second wife, tradition dictated that the first wife, referred to as mikayi, had to break the news first.

Among the Luo, it is the mikayi who is supposed to break the news of her husband’s death. In the past, if a man died in his homestead, the first wife would wail, to attract the attention of villagers.