Origin
The Gisu people, or Bamasaba people of Elgon, alternately Gishu, Masaba, or Sokwia, are a tribe of the Masaba people of eastern Uganda, closely related to the Bukusu people of Kenya. Bamasaba live mainly in the Mbale District of Uganda on the slopes of Mount Elgon. The original inhabitants on top of the Elgon Mountains before the arrival of Maswahaba were known as Kony.
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Ancestor
The Masaba people, Bukusu or Luhya believed that their ancestor was Kundu and Sela.The People of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Highlands have no name of Kundu, accept it is mountain peak in Oromiya.
The Bamasaba Ancestor, Maswahaba migrated from Ethiopian Mountains traveling via Lake Turkana to Sironko and settled around Bududa were he got in love with a Maasai people, girl who was known as Nabarwa.The Maasai family of Nabarwa demande from Maswahaba that in order to marry their daughter he had to under go their culture of circumcision which he did.
Culture
Circumcision in Africa is an old culture as practiced by the Bamasaaba in Eastern Uganda. The culture of circumcision was adopted by the Bamasaba form their in-laws the Maasai people.The men among the Bagisu Tribe under go Initiation ceremonies known as (Imbalu). The initiation ceremonies among the Bamasaaba are held every two years during August.
The Bamasaaba ancestors lived on Bamboo shoot also known as Malewa in lumasaaba language.These Bamboo shoots are collected from Bamboo trees on top of Mt. Elgon.
Origin of the name Bagisu
Maswahaba's first son with Nabarwa was Mwambu who was nicknamed Nkisu by his Maasai uncles who had stolen his fathers cows from him. Masawahaba failed to pronounce the nickname of Nkisu meaning a bull in Maasai language,given to his son his uncle and he pronounced it as Mugisu. The name Bagisu originated from the nickname Nkisu given to Mwambu by Maswababa's Maasai Brother-in-law.
The Gisu speak a dialect of the Lumasaba language called Lumasaba, which is fully understandable by other dialects, and is also understood by the Bukusu.