a lot to every Maasai. This person shoulders all of But in the masia world this is one of few brutal things that go on. Circumcision is painful yet means Fascinating insight. Because of the negativity surrounding discussion of the practice, many Maasai are not willing to talk about the practice in public. My attention naturally went to the rites of passage for girls. Circumcision 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Circumcision is the surgical removal of the hood. This is where all boys across the region will Also 3 cows to them is a very high price and I sign of respect. They were given animal blood immediately to compensate for what was lost, as well as milk fat and animal meat to help them regain their strength. and environmental challlenges. For instance, my mum became a Christian about 10 years ago, and her attitude toward female circumcision changed. young ones. is a highly regarded spiritual leader in charge of Maasai religious, Meat chunks were passed around the best saved for elders, the rest scattered on plates of rice circulated among guests. Being a Maasai child, I understand our weaknesses and strengths. Excuses are not accepted; even the sick must obey the requirement. The Mass . The circumcision ceremony takes place in early morning. in the cold weather and receive a cold shower to cleanse himself. Nasirian's brother Sankei will be also circumcised and shaved by his mother. ceremony), and is organized by fathers of the new age set. Watch fullscreen. Dont get me wrong everybody has the right to say no. The type of circumcision that the Maasai perform is called clitoridectomy, in which the entire clitoris or part of the clitoris, and at times the adjacent labia, is removed. I smiled, considering how our assumptions of what ought to be often get in way of what could be. The men jumping in the middle shot higher, their shouts growing more pronounced. "It takes one day to destroy a house; to build initiation. | Donor Privacy Policy | EIN: 23-7182593. But effective efforts to do so must come from within the Maasai community. Agents of change is probably the last of its kind. Loibons are This is a horrible cultural trait , and makes you wonder why it is acceptable for boys to be circumcised in the western word. Maasai life is thriving and they still to this day hold on to their ancient way of life - cattle are still their pride, their centre of life. My African experience opened my eyes to a completely different world, the beautiful, the magnificent, and the ugly. I believe in being a role model for my younger sisters. because they are disbarred from the world of warrior hood. It would have meant the child was not prepared for adulthood, and the women would have cried as well. I believe the Maasai should retain the ceremonial rituals such as the feasting and the blessing of the initiates, and do away with the actual circumcision. A few failed attempts later I finally got the hang of angling the carabiner and I took on a new, important role in my group: bartender. It This chair becomes a man's friend until it is broken. own age-set. Once a woman undergoes circumcision, she is ready for marriage. Emuratta, respected age set chiefs. I went to Tanzania because I wanted to meet Maasai people. Men scattered; meat was grabbed, pulled, torn and cut from the makeshift lattice-work grill stretched across a segment of creek bed. How did those meat hunks treat you the next day, Dan? Every decade or so the Emuratare (circumcision) is opened for several years, which gives rise to a new generation of moran (warriors). Kisioki and I sat down with two other men and ate from a heaping plate shared between us. age mates and male members of the family shout encouragement Their customs, dress, and lifestyle had long captivated my imagination. Editors note: The views expressed are the authors own and do not represent the views of Matador Network. age set. In the following pages, four Maasai women discuss their feelings about FGM. of brotherhood, and security for their land, cattle, and people. But I am glad that FGM was performed on me, because now I can talk from experience when I campaign against it. Every decade or so the Emuratare (circumcision) is opened for several years, which gives rise to a new generation of moran (warriors). My mother says those who dislike female circumcision would be better to tell us how to improve the procedure rather than to stop it. But wait, I said in my head, feeling cut loose. You know, many of them have never seen a white person before, our drive said. Luckily more and more girls are becoming educated about their rights and are standing up for themselves and saying no to this ridiculous tradition. In fact, I am campaigning to encourage Maasai families say no to FGM. The men formed a circle. At A poorly performed procedure causes excessive bleeding, which causes death or anemia. Learn how your comment data is processed. must raise eight bulls, before the ceremony, to be distributed Just like that, dance practice was over. Masaai girls attend the Alternative Rite of Passage ceremony on Aug. 27 in Kenya. A man would assume total responsibility of his family That morning, a woman walked into a mud hut belonging to one of the girls families, picked up a razor blade, lowered her hand to between the legs of one of the girls and made her bleed. The women knew exactly which houses were occupied by those children, because there was a stick in the roof as a sign. First of all, they prepare the frame using some wooden poles, and then plaster it with water, mud, and cow dung. Many Maasai, particularly those who live near urban areas, no longer announce their circumcision ceremonies. Many of us who have been formally educated and exposed to the Western world understand that female circumcision, particularly the surgical part of the ceremony, must end. I am reading a book titled Saharasia; it has much information about this subject. If you think a video is in an inappropriate Topic, report it to us. The two most common camps are Ilaiserr The village chief tells everyone whats next when to eat, when to dance. Kisoki explained. Olngesherr, are the most Finnish photographer Meeri Koutaniemi witnessed two step-sisters, Isina and Nasirian (not their real names), from the Maasai tribe in Kenya, endure the illegal practice in late November. made by the outside world to end this traditional custom because If a woman is found guilty of violating such a All Rights Reserved. This This decision caused a lot of problems between us and my extended family, and we have never been accepted. video of the young masai girls dancing. homestead and enter with an attitude of a raider. She is the first-born in a family of five. Cultural Survival envisions a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance. They agreed because they thought it was worth sharing what they call an honorable tradition, as long as Koutaniemi didnt use real names, identify the villagers or publish the work in Kenya. I brought them candies, and using a lot of gestures, I managed to get them together to take a picture of them. We followed the group into the open-air corral and moved to the edges, positioning ourselves to absorb a widening scene in front of us. The day after, a bull is slaughtered for the guests and the circumcision is sealed with the performance of Ilmasin where the parents of the newly circumcised receive a blessing by the elders. The two films together illustrate the important differences between the contexts of male and female genital-cutting among the Maasai. Copyright 2023, Uncornered Market. advice. Girls who are not circumcised, it is argued, are immoral, make rude wives and daughters-in-law. Masaai Circumcision Ritual (2005) Film makers: Dante Montagaliani, Roger Eaton, Michael Tombeur, Mattias Nyberg High Definition Sony HVR-Z1U Locations: Maralal District, Kenya Production Co. Mad Pig Productions Upload, livestream, and create your own videos, all in HD. Mela was the instigator, in all the right ways. In the distance, Maasai women descended from the hills. RMM52BX2 - Young men and women from the Sebei tribe in Kapchorwa, northeast Uganda, reenact the ceremony they'd go through before circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM). delegation of boys, aged 14 to 16 years of age, would travel They have many interesting rituals and ceremonies for boys entering into adulthood and later being initiated to become warriors. In the Maasai community, once a girl undergoes circumcision, she can start a family. Your email address will not be published. (marriage), Eunoto (warrior-shaving ceremony), Eokoto For as out of place as I was, the men paid little attention to me. the husband. Subscribe for exclusive city guides, travel videos, trip giveaways and more! the forest. Blood spilled onto the womans hands, then the floor. The procedure ranges from snipping off a piece of the clitoris to the removal of all external genitalia and can lead to a litany of health issues, from urination problems, cysts and infections to severe bleeding, infertility or complications during childbirth. She touched my arm gently and started to pray for me. This ceremony is the transition into a new age set. last age set's initiation is Orngesherr (junior's For the Maasai, this is one of the most important ceremonies and a life-changing milestone for the boys and girls who celebrate their transition into adulthood. Masaai Circumcision Ritual (2005) region. Circumcision would take place While she was there, many older villagers confided they were proud their community still practiced FGM/C. Eudoto/Enkigerunoto oo-inkiyiaa (earlobe), and Ilkipirat Maintaining these ceremonial practices would be enough to qualify a girl as an adult, without causing her harm in the process. The procedures were done in the girls homes, where they would stay for four weeks to recover and tend to wounds that continually scab, break and bleed. It is better for one person to be unfortunate than many. Inflammation of the cells around the circumcision area also occurs shortly after the operation. This was a gossip circle. is where the warriors learn about the age set brotherhood, the In 2010, I began a two-year stint of volunteering for a London-based conservation NGO in Tanzania. The Maasai community has managed to keep its cultural traditions intact thus far, and because female circumcision is a part of that culture, it will be a hard task to convince the communities to stop it. While their traditional customs and festivities do not generally impact on the lives of urban Tanzanians, their decision-making processes are recognised by the Tanzanian government, and results that impact the entire Maasai population like the recent election of a new Laibon (spiritual leader) are agreed on in unison. If she does marry, she fetches a much lower bride price (usually measured by the number of cattle). Following Also, during this event, an animal horn is set The man, who calls himself Alhaji Adebayo, posted the images on January. Secondly, the practice today is often done under unhygienic conditions and health problems develop. Maasai believed a woman could not get pregnant without a circumcision, and if she somehow did, the baby would die. ten years after warriorhood. Our generations parents have been very much affected by this tradition, and feel that since it was done to them they should also do it to their children. But Is That a GoodThing? Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Despite a drop in recent years, female genital mutilation or circumcision is still practiced and valued in some 30 countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, under the belief that girls must be cut in order to prepare them for marriage. olkiteng, chief of the boys, must be chosen. Following a tradition, they sang, and one after another, jumped as high as possible. popular rite of passages and ceremonies in the Maasai society. initiation. Disclosure:We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 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