The Story of Kintu and his three Sons
The Founding of Bunyoro-Kitara
In the beginning, there was Ruhanga-God who created the earth. When he created the first man, there were no names, so he simply called him Kintu, which means “created thing or person”.
Kintu and his wife Kati had three sons but it was very confusing for them not to have names. They all shared the name ‘Kana’ (meaning little child) Whenever the father called one, they could all come and whenever he gave one child a present, they all quarreled declaring it was intended for them, So, he asked Ruhanga if they could be given names. Ruhanga agreed but he proposed two tests to help him select the boys names.
In the first test, the boys had to select some items that were placed along a path where they would find them.
In the second test, the boys had to keep bowls of milk on their lap during a night until morning.
For the first test, Potatoes, millet, leather thong/strap and a ox’s head were placed along the path, As the children walked, they found the things in the path, *the eldest son picked up the potatoes and millet, the second pick up the leather thong and the youngest, picked the ox’s head.
For the second test, they sat down on the ground, with their legs stretched out, each holding on his lap a full wooden milk pot. At midnight, *the youngest boy started to dosed and spilt half of his milk,* He greatly feared and turned to his brothers to beg them to give him their milk that his pot might be full, so the two brothers filled up their young brother milk pot leaving thier’s half empty. But at cock crow the eldest spilled all his milk, and when he asked his brothers to pour from their pots into his, they refused, saying that he would need so much to fill up the empty pot.
At dawn Ruhanga came and told each to uncover his milk pot. With the eldest, he found it empty; with the second, half full; while the youngest had his full.
So Ruhanga called Kintu that he had found the names for his three children.
The oldest son was named *Kairu, which means “little peasant”* for he had shown that he knew nothing about the value of cattle or milk. He had spilled all his milk, and he had chosen potatoes and millet from the items along the path. He and all his descendants would be farmers and servants.
The second he named Kahuma which means (little herdsman), This is because he had chosen the leather thong/stap, used for tying up cattle, and only half of his milk was missing
The youngest son had all his milk. And he had chosen the head of an ox in the first test. Ruhanga named *Kakama, which means “little King.”* A mukama is a ruler.