Death announcement.
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| From Nkoponi Matinta |
25th august 2010.
Nkoponi our beloved grandmother has gone to sleep.
We have just been informed that our beloved grandmother is dead. She died this morning on Sunday 25th July 2010 at 10:20 AM.
Nkoponi Matinta Putunoi (Entito Olenarerio) died at her deceased son’s home in Makurian, Laikipia North District of Kenya where she has been residing during the last years of her life.
Although I document this with a heavy heart, I am please somehow that I am able to record her death in accuracy unlike the reality of things at the time of her birth. Like many others from our Maasai world, birthdays are recorded orally with days and hours not really having the same significance as they do today in our modern world.
Birthdays and deaths were recorded in relation to seasons for example, my little brother was born during the year of Kaseeka (yellow maize) the season of long hunger and draught (1984).
Matinta who might have attained the age between 80 to 90 or maybe 100 and more years?, is said to have slept in into the new world where the almighty is waiting to give her eternal life! She woke up in the morning, took her break fast and requested to be taken to her bed to rest. She slept in and disappeared to the infinite world out here. Her spirit, according us the Maasai, is already here with us.
We as a people belief in three dimension of human existence namely, the living, the living dead and the ancestral spirits. They all intertwine to make our reality that we live under. We belief in the God who lives everywhere. Our granny is now with God all over around us.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
Matinta Nkoponi is reported to have been in very joyful mood and in very good mental health. Her memory has always been sharp until the last days. Paraga ( my little brother ) who visited her on May12th 2010 to deliver our greetings to her and bring to us her blessings, took very nice pictures of her and said good bye. We all suspected that she may not survive age hence we may not see her again.
Our beloved Nkoponi (every child knows her by this name) slept on the right side as she silently took the last breath and swing to the other world. The family found her body an hour later cold and lifeless.
The soonest we received the sad news from Loitamany, one of our cousins, Paraga sorrowfully went through the pictures he took of Nkoponi as he narrated every single moment he spent with our loving Nkoponi. Paraga repeatedly said that Nkoponi was in such a good health. She remembered my names(:::::::::), she would ask – koree daapa olapa loolashumpa! – roughly translated: where is the other one who went to the White man’s world?
She remembered my wife’s name (Enkashumpai e Toyianka) – Toyianka’s white wife ( NO one else but Nkoponi, my parents and a few elderly relatives who calls me by my mother’s name..
Nkoponi gave birth to a total of 9 children of whom all survived to adulthood. She has always been that kind of a woman who does what she must to defend her children but she was to loose that war to some mysterious deaths. Her 8 adult children died one after the other until it is only my mother and Nkoponi remaining. Now, it is only my poor mother who is a life! This is heavy……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
However, she is survived by grand children, great grand children and great great grand children. We are many so I’ll have to give the correct number later 
My dear Nkoponi, What a strong woman you have always been! what a thrilling story teller, we all remember all the stories you told us, the Kapunaas stories, the letabo and the Hyena and the Crow! You remember the story of the warrior and his sister and the enemy? The short animal stories and all your good milk based foods, your dried smoked meat you always kept for us.. The luxury of freedom we had when we visited you away from our parents…
Putunoi, Ngais, Narerio’s and all other related families, we share the sorrows! Please be strong!
Oh my dear cousins, what a tragedy! I still don’t want to belief that she’s gone… We are so saddened by the news about the departure of our beloved Nkoponi. But we must be strong..
I knew all along that this was to happen any time and that’s why I wanted Paraga to take nice photo’s of her before travelling to Sweden. I also thought that it will not be this painful since she is of age. I was wrong on the latter.
Brethren, kindly update us as soon as you can.
R.I.P. our dear Nkoponi!
Saidimu and Paraga Ole Ngais
