important initiation known as Emuratare (circumcision). future fathers. 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. The two films together illustrate the important differences between the contexts of male and female genital-cutting among the Maasai. This chair becomes a man's friend until it is broken. When we came to the celebration, the women grouped at the end of the village. Copyright 2022 CycleHarmony All rights reserved. special pole, planted in the middle of the camp, is used as This is simply awesome. We have also encouraged young girls to speak out about their true feelings on the practice. I answered I was not, and suddenly her smile was gone. for the duration of its existence. The houses Eunoto, Eokoto the camp. Because Maasai girls are traditionally considered children until they are circumcised, it is seen as imperative for a Maasai girl to undergo the circumcision rite before she is married. This wasn't a performance for my benefit, it was all theirs. Also 3 cows are worth 3000 in there eyes. While she was there, many older villagers confided they were proud their community still practiced FGM/C. There International activists must listen to them. The primary reason female circumcision is practiced among the Maasai is that it is considered a rite of passage. We target young Maasai men who are not educated and are planning to marry young Maasai girls. Meeri KoutaniemiEcho 1 of 15 Maasai man walking to the forest to. They have many interesting rituals and ceremonies for boys entering into adulthood and later being initiated to become warriors. themselves to get near the bull's skin to see if their wives More Every man is honored with an elder's chair in this his age set's bad and good deeds. Circumcision Circumcision, also called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), involves using blades --. She says, Female circumcision is our culture. I would say I agree that this is brutal and no one should be forced or guilt into doing anything they dont want to do. by women of the homestead. You have reached your limit of free articles. To cry meant weakness; to resist meant they would be shunned. culture and self-determination. Every one in the age set looks forward to this final a lot to every Maasai. whoever takes the horn out of the fire will suffer misfortunate Girls who are not circumcised, it is argued, are immoral, make rude wives and daughters-in-law. I smiled, considering how our assumptions of what ought to be often get in way of what could be. In order for the boy to be initiated he must prove Along the way, as we wended our way through an acacia-dotted clay track creviced by recent storms, Kisioki offered a bit of background. We ate, passing the plate, taking a handful, scooping it into our mouths, passing again, repeating. I love my people and I will do anything possible to bring changes where they are necessary, especially concerning FGM. If she does marry, she fetches a much lower bride price (usually measured by the number of cattle). They cause huge amounts of harm. Young do not have their own age-set but are recognized by that of is important to note that with the rising challenges of the I have seen young girls taken into hiding to be circumcised out of view of the authorities. One of the places we visited was the Maasai Mara, a large game reserve in southwestern Kenya. A year later, on beautiful Mafia Island, I met a local Maasai who became my husband and I moved to his family boma in the Maasai Steppe of Tanzania. And what did you say? I asked him. But Im not for such a act of destroying ones body fo tradation. The actual circumcision takes part at night after a ritual washing of the boys out in the bush. After the Last updated on March 23, 2018 By Jing J. Now I if there going to do this shit then wait til the girl is a woman and let it be her callNOT the village, her family, or anyone else and. camp. black cloths for a period of 4-8 months. Isina's mother shows the razor which will be used to circumcize her daughter. 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. Because of the negativity surrounding discussion of the practice, many Maasai are not willing to talk about the practice in public. Required fields are marked *. In such a small community, they could afford neither. If a man dies before the chair breaks, his older son will adopt Note: If prose isnt your thing and video is all you're after, click here. For Editors note: The views expressed are the authors own and do not represent the views of Matador Network. A specially chosen bull is slaughtered for This camp is located in a convenient Some couples request circumcision for religious reasons, others for health or cleanliness reasons. From the United States, based in Berlin, world-bound. It will be easier for me to talk about issues affecting my community than someone from outside. My mother says those who dislike female circumcision would be better to tell us how to improve the procedure rather than to stop it. (marriage), Eunoto (warrior-shaving ceremony), Eokoto mud hut made specificaly for the Oloiboni. Thats why the children hid in their homes.. More than 100 countries later, we are still goingand still married. 32 minutes ago. the same day as their chiefs. Due to respect for my culture and its gender boundaries, Over the past 10 years, I have witnessed people in my Kenyan Maasai community being arrested for practicing female circumcision. 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. throughout his entire life. If you run away from the knife, your society will disown you. He is now allowed to move away from his father's homestead and When a young Maasai girl comes of age, shes required to go through circumcision and get her clitoris removed. Olngesherr, are the most The ceremony takes place in another specially The The houses are located in one large kraal chosen by the Oloiboni Blood spilled onto the womans hands, then the floor. on fire and warriors are forced to take a piece out before it Circumcision is con .more .more. Boys are circumcised for similar reasons. as long as the Morrans (warriors) are still in If we abandon This initiation also permits Capital FM Kenya. Simultaneously, the women made me feel like a guest yet also one of them. The knot allows he would then give the cow to his friend as a gift. elder and would assume full responsibility of his own family. is important to note that many of these initiations and rituals And now, they face their parents for the first time since they escaped 6 years ago. In some cases, Christianity has changed this attitude. Each year, millions of girls and women around the world are at risk of undergoing FGM, a harmful practice that intentionally alters or causes injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. We were really fortunate. are randomly selected by warriors. The village chief tells everyone whats next when to eat, when to dance. Kisoki explained. Also the maasia are free and live a more free life then anybody who post a comment on this site. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. The Maasai have a strict social system based on age groups and respect for their elders. Meeri Koutaniemi is a Finnish freelance photojournalist working in Helsinki and abroad on international projects. the end of the meat ceremony, men and women fight against one I could not imagine how long they were going to celebrate, but I knew about how long the circumcised girls were going to have to take to heal. A girl is not expected to weep; this is meant to show that she is brave enough to face the knife. She is now in Rio de Janeiro to continue another project, focusing on the impact of the World Cup on the inhabitants of the citys favelas, or slums. they have become a new person and receive the status of a new Kisioki tugged at each of us, indicating we had to leave; it was late and the sun would soon set. Maasai believed a woman could not get pregnant without a circumcision, and if she somehow did, the baby would die. The next day, we encountered the biggest celebration in Maasai culture, even greater than a wedding: Maasai boys and girls around the age of 12 were to be circumcised. She is represented by Echo photo agency. Isina says she is not afraid of the consequences of the circumcision. Rites of Passage Into Womanhood in Native American Cultures. For more information read our privacy policy. of brotherhood, and security for their land, cattle, and people. As we came closer to our final destination, I heard a terrified scream. on the eighth day. They told stories, laughed, and motioned others to join in. Once likely to refuse to participate in the camp; they think that e-kule (milk-drinking ceremony), Enkang oo-nkiri their mothers who mostly prepare food for her husband and the of livestock from his relatives and friends. I later asked our guide about this tradition. Meat chunks were passed around the best saved for elders, the rest scattered on plates of rice circulated among guests. In some areas this percentage is as high as 95%, and as many as 50% of the women were operated on when they were between 10 and 15 years old. made by the outside world to end this traditional custom because Female circumcision is a time-honored practice from the Maasai point of view, but it should be stopped for the betterment of the Maasai girls. healing process will take 3-4 months, and boys must remain in along with nasty looks and sometimes threats. Build a site and generate income from purchases, subscriptions, and courses. Women are luckier and are spared of such comments. And this is just the way they dress up on the way to a party. Then at once, the women turned and piled into a nearby hut. Why should we be forced to adopt a culture that is not ours? I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the freedom, the opportunities, the beauty and love around me. We do not choose our wives by ourselves. I love how you guys told this story! Absolutely incredible story. (leg fire marks). if she says no the that ok. Lloyd, I appreciate your perspectives. maasai elders from seven regions in tanzania have signed a declaration to end female genital mutilation as a. It marks the status of a warrior Maasai girls Isina and Nasirian, a day before their planned circumcision. unfortunate. All this shows greatness in their culture. If you are invited by a local Maasai, then you are welcome, Kisioki assured us. Their heavy workloads, especially during times of nomadic moves, affect them more. To be look down on by the village is terrible considering that most villages are in the midde of kenya savannah. to twenty houses. Ledama Olekina is the founder and president of Maasai Education Discovery (www.maasaieducationdiscovery.org). Along with a group of other journalists, I traveled from the city of Arusha, deep in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. The hair all over the girls bodies was shaved and they were washed with cow milk. Legislation, particularly the criminalization of FGM, and other external pressures that do not take local culture into account can have deadly consequences. They didnt leave anything.. Silence meant that the child was brave enough to become an adult. It is also mostly done against her wishes and becomes a violation of her rights. most popular Maasai loibon was known as Olanana. They did it every day while their wives waited for them at home, taking care of their children. all initiations circumcision Many Maasai families cannot afford to give their children formal schooling, so to protect their daughters from lives of poverty they choose to marry them off at a young age. Kisioki and I sat down with two other men and ate from a heaping plate shared between us. (This is the first time in history for the age set form his own homestead. the Eunoto ceremony, warriors are prohibited to Every ceremony is a new life. Every decade or so the Emuratare (circumcision) is opened for several years, which gives rise to a new generation of moran (warriors). To start with, it causes a lot of pain to the initiates. My father brought a young woman to our house, and he said: This is going to be your wife, the Maasai herdsman Mozes said. Three important leaders I thought to myself, What the hell is this?! Do you want to go? Kisioki asked in the sort of unassuming manner one might use to ask a friend to a new restaurant around the corner for lunch. Despite maybe being hard to immerse in at the start. Eudoto/Enkigerunoto oo-inkiyiaa (earlobe), and Ilkipirat This was a gossip circle. We use cookies for analytics tracking and advertising from our partners. is the most important rite Being Christian and members of a denomination that does not allow the practice also encouraged them a great deal. I plan to use my medical career to teach people the effects of female circumcision from the medical point of view. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. descendants from Inkodongi clan. Traditionally, Some things are universal. Once a woman undergoes circumcision, she is ready for marriage. However, even though the man is now (senior boy ceremony), Emuratta (circumcision), Enkiama Evelyn Nashipae Nkadori MED student from the Magadi Division in the Rift Valley of Kenya. Oloiboni Nice story loved it. Because circumcision goes hand-in-hand with marriage, we ask these men to refuse to marry circumcised girls. Local woman maneuvered amidst the growing crowd with grace and agility and respectfully left space for others, as I spun around disoriented, the clumsy interloper. are many ceremonies in Maasai society including Enkipaata to have affairs with men of the same age set but not outside senior warriors to marry, which in turn prepares them to become Over the past four years, Maasai Education Discovery (MED), an organization created and operated by Maasai, has worked to promote alternatives to female circumcision. It does not have any effect on her desire for sex or her morality, but it does have many negative effects when it comes to giving birth. Note: Should a woman find herself alone, she'll wait to join a group so she doesn't join the party by herself. Until, that is, someone handed me his stick. We hope the circumcision practice can one day be eliminated because the expectation that girls must be circumcised will be eliminated. 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