Cultural heritage and the socialization process: a study of Ramogi hill.

Abstract

Ramogi hill is held with a lot of reverence among the Luo, the bottom-line being that it was the stopping point of their fore- father, Ramogi, upon his entry into Kenya through Uganda from Southern Sudan. As a result, several myths exist among the Luo which revolve around the various cultural sites found in the hill. This was a study of the significance of the myths associated with the hill and their implication for the socialization process in the Luo community. The objective of the study was to identify the various myths associated with Ramogi hill and discuss their role in the socialization process in the Luo community. The data for the study was collected through face to face interviews with informants aged seventy years and above. Purposive sampling and snowballing was used to identify the informants. The myths collected were then analyzed to establish the morals transmitted through them and their implication for the community. The functionalist theory was instrumental in the analysis of the utilitarian function of the myths. The findings reveal that the hill is a symbol of the community’s culture and socialization process. The various cultural sites and the myths that surround them echo issues that are central to the community’s belief system. They give prominence to virtues such as generosity, respect, sanctity of marriage, communalism, caution, good organization and condemnation of evil, all of which were essential for acceptability in the community.