Nandi Kinship and Clans (Kenya) 
821 
This location was established in Central Nandi, and was bounded on the 
south by the Kinwal river, on the east by the Pire, on the west by the Puitany, 
and on the north by the Pire. The principal parish (koret) in it was Kapsisiwa, 
by which name the location was generally known to the Nandi. Here lived from 
1919 onwards all the orkoiyot segment of the Talai except one or two who 
managed to escape notice and remain outside, and two, named Arap Kinekat 
and Arap Koitalel, who ‘by general request of the tribe’ were allowed to live 
outside for a time. The original members of the Talai clan, unrelated to the 
orkoiyot section, lived as before scattered through the Nandi country. 
There are two ‘witch clans’, all the male members of which are said to be 
witches (ponik). The more important of these is the Kamwaike, whose men-folk 
were the original orkoiik in Nandi before the Masai of the family of Kapuso 
took the pre-eminence from them. They are still called orkoiik, but this word, 
unless qualified by their clan-name, in ordinary usage refers to those of Talai. 
The other clan is Kapcemuri, a small and rather retiring group who do not 
appear to give much trouble. In fact, the Nandi say of them, ioonote kapcemuri 
ole merjgen piik ponik ‘the Kapcemuri are driven about to live where people 
do not know they are witches’. 
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