Rites of passage vary from tribe to tribe. At 18, boys of the Kenyan tribe, Kikuyu, get their ears pierced, heads shaved and faces are marked with white earth.
Girls of the Pokot tribe go through a ceremony at age 12 and it involves singing, dancing, and decorating their bodies with red clay and animal fat. The rite of passage into adulthood for both boys and girls is important to Kikuyu culture.https://youtu.be/U47lJiacGyM
The initiations of both sexes are separate affairs but both involve circumcision and the use of shields. For boys, the ceremony is called Irua and takes place between the ages of fifteen and eighteen.
First, there are a number of dances.
The boys wear the ndome shields during these dances to symbolize the adult warrior status they are about to acquire. The ring on the back of the shield is worn under the left armpit, so the shield its
elf stands high above the head of the dancer.
After the dancing comes the surgical operation itself, performed at a special ritual location known as the Iteri. To preserve their family honor, the boys are expected to undergo the operation in silence, without flinching. Several boys are circumcised at once and each new set of initiates (mwanake) is considered to be a distinct age set (rika).
Each rika is given a group name and its members treat each other as brothers for life and fight together in battle. Undergoing Irua is attractive to Kikuyu boys for a number of reasons:
An uncirc
umcised male (no matter how old) is prevented from owning possessions, socializing with adults, fighting as a warrior for the clan, marrying, or sleeping in the Thingira – a communal house for initiated young men where initiated young women are permitted to visit.
Each year the ceremony is marked with beautiful outfits, music, and wonderful traditional cuisine. It is a unique moment of prayer, thanksgiving, and joy to all the family members and the community at large.
Per Kenyan culture, once the young men go through the ceremony they move to a separate cottage where th
e older males live together with their “house father”.
It was a very exciting time for the boys and they were proud to be recognized as young men. We are so thankful for our Kenyan staff who lead our children and are committed to maintaining important cultural traditions.
