Exclusive Details inside the African Bukusu Circumcision rite , How do They Do it ?

Circumcision remains a crucial rite of passage among many African communities, an ideal that is considered as a moment of transformation from childhood to adulthood. The Bukusu community in Western part of Kenya is one of the communities still pricticing circumcision rite .

Throughout the month of August in every even year, this community that forms part of the 18 Luhya tribes marks a special ceremony to circumcise young men as a way of initiation to Adulthood.

These celebrations are valued in Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia, Kakamega counties and several parts of Eastern Uganda popularly known as Bamasaba clans.

Our journey to catch a glimpse of what transpired in the ceremony starts at 4:00 PM when we join a young man who is expecting to undergo this highly valued stage of life. The whole night we sit on the tables with the elders of the Wabukusu community while they narrate to us every single step of the process before the boy faces the knife.

**The boy is facing upright as it is mandatory before he faces the knife**

In the village of Bwake in Kabuchai Constituency, Bungoma County, at this time, our candidate has already arrived in his village from his uncle’s home. As part of the community’s tradition to pay dowry, a circumcision candidate visits the uncle on the eve of the circumcision day where the uncle reciprocates the dowry paid by his father and awards him a cow as well.

This implies that the uncle has blessed the sister’s son to be transformed into a responsible leader who will also be willing to give back to the society and make others happy, said Mzee Edward Khaemba.

The visit to the uncle’s home is one of the most important steps in these circumcision ceremonies as the uncle uses the opportunity to advise the boy: his candidate to be courageous and man up to face the knife without cowardice.

In addition, he points out that depending on the distance from where the uncle lives, the young man is accompanied by a crowd of people as witnesses and they are the ones who will bring him home from the uncle.

While going and coming back from the uncle’s home, the crowd is tasked with singing to psyche up the boy for the cut.

“This cow is a gift from the uncle, a special blessing for the awaited ceremony, and this only happens if the father paid the dowry to the in-laws,” he added.

At their home, the boy’s father and the kinsmen receive him, his mother welcomes him with joy and cheers as a crowd of people including neighbors, relatives and friends flood the compound with jubilation and singing of special cultural songs.

*A father giving his son advice a night before he faces the knife.*

The father cautions his son about the severity of the knife that awaits him by taking away the bells popularly known as chinyimba which are rung by the candidate as musical instruments. The singing and dancing goes on till late in the night when the boy is given a few hours to rest. This singing is called Khuminya.

***Wazee ( Elders ) enjoying busaa ( Traditional Brew) in the house***

Throughout this time, the elderly people are enjoying the local brew known as Busaa and partaking in meals such as Ugali and roast meat.

At 4:00 AM, the young man is woken up and taken to the river where he is smeared with mud and brought home to face the knife. During this period of taking the boy to the river, the traditional circumcisers and the father prepare to administer the rite.

All this time, the young man is protected in a special manner and wherever he goes, he is accompanied by strong men to guard him so that he may not attempt to evade the pain that awaits him, explained Khaemba.

At the river, the little boy is smeared with mud all over his body by his uncle, close relative or even a neighbor, a person who is given this responsibility must portray a good reputation in the society.

On his head an upright grass is placed, traditionally it means connection with the ancestors.

Thereafter, it’s time to go home. While going home, the boy walks majestically without any clothes with body smeared with mud, this time round there is no more ringing of the bells and the only big thing is how the boy will demonstrate courage at home.

While walking home, Sioyayu, a special song is sung after the boy comes out of the river till he arrives home. After all these processes, there is no chance to avoid the knife because it is believed that it is a taboo for a boy to dodge it, here it is a get circumcised or be circumcised situation.

As soon as the young man arrives home , an interesting juncture comes when a paternal aunt meets him carrying a cooking stick, according to the laws of their culture, the young man is supposed to avoid licking the stick so he should be very careful not to break the law.

At home, the father is waiting for his son in solidarity for the transition; he takes him and escorts him to the platform known as etiang’i- normally maize flour, a sack, a newspaper or anything that can hold blood which will drop on the ground to connect the boy with the land and the homestead. This is a sacred place which is only made by the father and cleansed after the circumcision becomes successful.

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Circumcision among this community takes a maximum of 10 seconds and the boy is expected to stand upright. The boy faces the same direction as the sun rays and after the circumcision, the traditional surgeon blows the whistle and ushers in a moment of jubilation as a new man is made.

All this time, the boy’s mother is with other women seated on the floor inside the house and meditating upon her son as she eagerly waits for the signal from the Omukhebi-traditional surgeon.

Upon the cut, the young man is assisted to sit on a special chair, covered with a blanket and rewarded for proving courage and making his people proud.

A young female: maybe a sister, an aunt or any chosen girl is mandated to support the initiate throughout the healing period.

She is the one to cook and serve the little boy till he recovers fully, she starts by removing the mud from the boy’s head. The young man is taken into the house while walking in the opposite direction while being surrounded, according to the elders, it indicates that he has now taken off his mother’s clothes and is officially wearing his father’s clothes.

This young man will be in a private room known as mwikombe all the time for healing until December when he will be officially released in a special event called khukhwiyalula.