INITIATION CEREMONY AMONG THE MAASAI

The Maasai are pastoralist who lives in the rift valley provinces in Kenya and southern Tanzania. The Maasai community has kept their culture intact over years. The Maasai cultures rites revolves around the initiation ceremony of both boys and girls.
The initiation ceremony begins when boys and girls are at the age of 15-18 years of age. The initiation ceremony involves three main events in the life of an individual.
1.confirmation of the person name.
2.circumcision
3.graduation into adulthood
Each of the three stages involves a lot of traditional ceremony according to one’s clans.
Confirmation of the person name
Among the Maasai community the arrival of a child to the society is always a sign of blessing from god and the ancestors. After three day a child is always name by his clan woman and children. The child remains with the name until he or she is about to be circumcised. The parent has to perform the naming ceremony for the child first before he undergoes circumcision. The parent has to prepared local brew and slaughtered two sheep for boy and one for girl. The name give during birth is scrutinizing by the clan elders before it is confirmed for instances they if anybody in the family has the same name, they also check if anybody with the same name died recently in the area and also evaluated the success of those called by that name after all these has be verified by clan elders, women are also consulted to give their views on the name. When everyone was satisfied with the names the family members called a big ceremony. The child is then shaves and amulets are tied in his left arms, neck and right foot to seek for protection of the child during this time of initiation. Women and children also sing and dances giving thanks to god for protecting their member all this year without a name. After the clan elders ask the celebration parent to honor their child with two calves one from each parent or close relative if one parent is missing .the child is then ready for circumcision.

CIRCUMCISION
Circumcision is a very significances ceremony among the Maasai community. If one is not circumcised even at the age of fifty years they still considered you a child. Circumcision symbolized two important aspect of the Maasai heritage.
 The shading of blood symbolized unity with the living dead that are also honored during the ceremony through libation of tradition beer and fresh milk. This to show, the departed that they are still remembered in the community and especially in the family. The shading of blood also shows that the young man is now courage’s enough to defenses the community against internal and external enemies.
 Circumcision also shows the transition from childhood to adulthood. For one to be recognized as a grown up person he/she has to be circumcised. Circumcision is one of the many rites of passage before one is allowed to married.
The initiation ceremony involves a lot of activities in the material day .the ceremony is always attended by everybody in the community, those who are invited and those who are not are welcome to celebrated with the initiate and his parent. The ceremony always takes two days.
The first day the initiation takes cattle very early in the morning for grazing and at around midday he comes back home for the ceremony to begin. He is received by his fellow initiation who accused him of all his past, telling him how he has misbehavior all sort of exalted to erupted his anger. He has to be striped naked before he is received by the mother who has to give him cold fresh milk and also introduced him to his new bed, which was made by all the women in the village who are the mother age.
The boy is the shaved by the mother outside the house at the right hand side with all the initiate looking at him. He is then given a goatskin, which he will wear over night before he is circumcised. At the evening boys are question on the sexual status whether he has ever sleep with a circumcised woman, which is a punishable offences. The circumciser made you to jump the circumcision knife three times grills him and your parent also pleaded you to say if ever you cross that line. It is belief that if you denied what is truth you will not live to see the evening of your manhood. If one commits such offences he has to pay three heifers to his father, mother and the circumciser. It was a way of controlling sexual purity among the boys and also to encourage virginity. if one has not commit the offences he receive the blessing of both the parent and the circumciser before he go to bed waiting the material day.
Early in the following the boy is wake up at five in the morning. He is take to the nearby river to bathe the symbolize washing away the wrong done in the past and beginning a new life. He is then lead to central point of his father cattle where he is circumcised in the full eye of his age mate and the newly initiates. The girls are circumcised in the calves’ pen inside their motherhouse. The initiate is the given fresh blood mixed with milk, charms and amulets to replace the blood loss and also to protect the initiated against infections of tetanus and other diseases. The initiates are praise for courageously facing the knife. All people are served with beers and all kind of food. The father all give a cow to be slaughtered in honored of his son who has bring pride for him through a successful circumcision. The initiates are the put in a special programme for one to two years feed with special food and not doing any hard task. The girl is educated on how to handle her family especially the husband and the in-laws. This period is called “aibartisho”and is the most educating period in the life of a Maasai girl who is supposed to be marriage after this grace period of goodies and basic education about the present and future life. This period is also special in the of the initiates since she got an opportunity to interacted with his relatives and the age in the society who educated you on the basic of life. Initiation is always a gateway to marriage since nobody is allowed to get married before going through initiation. The celebration bring people together to come and shared joy with the family therefore initiation play the role of unity in the Maasai community. Many relatives, friends and neighbors are called to witness the occasion. Lastly initiation offered one the opportunity to be educated on tribes and clans matter that are crucial in the life of every person in the society and also is new birth for the individual who is now allowed to enjoyed privileges that adult are entitled to in the community.
INITIATION TO MORANISM
This is the last stage of initiation for one to be accepted as an adult in the Maasai community. After the circumcision period young boys are initiated into moranhood while girls are married off. This is a very important period for the Maasai warriors who act as soldier of the community and are to educate on hardship and other outstanding issues in the community. The moranism period always take five year to be able to get all the requirements one needs in life. During this period boys are taught
 Ways of handle hardship in the society.
 Strategies for fight lion and other wild animals.
 Methods of stealing cattle from non-maasai.
 Ways of preserving food for the community during drought season.
The morans maintained the hair until the are fully grow and this symbolized that one is ready for defences of his community and also identified himself as a moran.
The morans have to stay away from home for like two years in the bush where their will be taking meat and tradition harbs for all this period to prepared them for the tasks a head of protectiong the community and also be abllle to defends themselves against lion and warriors from other tribes during cattle rustling.This is the period in the maasai community where one is allowed to enjoy life with the restrication of the parent and where leader are identified .it give one an opportunity to prioved his manhood and also showed the society that he is ready to rescued them in time of difficulties especially his clanmen and the ageset he belong to.
After the mweat eating period all morans came and are receive at each manyatta by girls and woman who tookm them around the homestead singing in prised of those who we able to stayed in the bush through out the period without coming homes for silly business. The period with a big ceremony where the morans are given permission to prepare a graduation ceremony to attended by the all community that will be of great significances to the future life and also the family.
During this ceremony a lot is done to the young men, advices are give and also permission to owned property including the wife for those who are married. According to Tipilit Ole Saitoti, when young men graduate from being warriors, the elders say to them, “now that you are elders drop your weapons and use your heads and wisdom instead; Master the art of the tongue and wisdom of the mind as from now on family responsibilities rest on your shoulders.” This ceremony is called Eunoto and it is a very importants rite of passage in the maasai calendar.during the ceremony the ageset leader is appointed by the elders among the young morans who are graduating who will be responsible of the entire ageset and also communicated elders the morans need to the elders.
The occasion saw all the morans shaved the hair by the owned mother using the traditional blades. It is also in this ceremony that the morans are officially granted permission to married and have family. During this ceremony the morans are advices to stop cattle rustling and work hard to feed their families.
All the parents and invited guest have speak to the morrans they are give tradition stool as sign of acceptances in the elders council and honour for serving the community diligently without any complaints or any misconduct. During this ceremony those morans who misbehavior are names as kind of punishment to them.
All the names morans come to an end and new era begin and are all to interact with men in the society attends meeting when discussing issues concerning the society.
Most maasai traditions are continuing up to date.many people still hold on their regalia and also are practicing initiation to both boys and girls althought the government, ngo, the church are trying a lot is still needs to be done to discouraged them. Maasai still value circumcision but some aspect have change where now boys are circumcised in hospital and beer is not as much as it used to be in past day.the ceremony has continues to bear new shape in trying to prevents the initiates from bacteria infection which was never taken into consideration before the Christian brothers has also give the rite a new look by circumcising the children together and having one fellowship in one of the parents home to avoided the long traditional ceremony.
RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
The Para churches Ngo and the government should encourages alternatives rite of passage for people not to left in a vacuum but to have something to symbolized the passage of childhood to adulthood for instances the world vision has an annual event in Narok to give girls certificate as sign of circumcision in front of their parents and relatives. The girls also feel that she is now a grow-up.
The maasai community needs to educated concerning the danger one is exposed when going through this rite of passage for instances the infections of bacteria and the killer disease HIV/AIDS when sharing tool of operation which is common during this time in the life of an individual.
The community elites, politician and the church should used visuals images in campaigning against this rite for people to be exposed to the danger this caused to the person through tortured and denied of one right for girls and the damages it make to her future life as an individual.the visual aids will give one the real picture of what one going through during this period in life and it is also a good lesion for those who have not yet gone through to avoid it.
Rescue centers should be encourage for those who are force to go through to run and be rescued from the ordain and also get shelter before they are reconcile with their parents.
Boy to be circumcised in hospital to avoid attacks from disease and other complication in the life of the boy. They should used sterilized equipments to carry out the operation and also it help to prevent pain for the boy.
Most tradition rites are importance in the life of community and needs to be modified and also continue in the society. This includes the birth ceremony of giving thanks to God for the child and naming ceremony that give one’s identification in the society.

Wrtten by Nicky Bita
Fourth year community Development Student
Daystar University
2nd October 2009