Rendille Initiation Ceremony

For decades, the Rendille have been one of the Kenyan communities that inhabit northern Kenya. Many years ago, there was constant tribal warfare between the Rendille and the Oromo who were both pastoralists in southern Ethiopia, and these conflicts forced the Rendille to move into Kenya.

Nonetheless, way of life among the Rendille consisted of a number of rituals that took place every seven to fourteen years. Initiation was a cherished rite among boys and men because it was the threshold to warrior life. During these warfare times, initiates were between the ages of 20 and 25. Immediately after the circumcision was done, they were titled as warriors, and additionally, they took on responsibilities of mature men such as herding livestock and protecting them from predators and rustlers from other communities.

When the Rendille settled in Kenya, they built temporary homes in areas inhabited mainly by the Samburu. It is thought that the interactions and intermarriages resulted in their adoption of processes within traditional rites practiced by the Samburu.

By the 1960s, tribal warfare was forbidden and by then initiation processes changed slightly. For starters, the age of those going through this ritual was lowered to boys between 10 and 14. Second, each initiate was required to give the circumciser a goat. The rituals that remained were that the rite was performed before dawn. The group was not informed of the location until they arrived in the darkness of the morning. They would stand in a semi-circle with boys and arrows in their hand. The circumciser would proceed. Once he was done, all the men would squat as the circumciser moved from one initiate to the other inspecting the wounds and giving each man his blessing. He would then spend time speaking to the men about what was expected of them once they returned to the community. The initiates would then disperse and spend the day in the shade of a nearby bush to recover until evening when they would break into small groups, each singing to commemorate the occasion.

After initiation, the men would spend two months in seclusion. For the first few days after the cut, their fathers would visit regularly, helping with food preparation and offering counsel. The initiates during that time wore black goat-skin coronets. As was custom, they painted white marks across their shaved heads.

Indeed, culture evolves. Do you know more about this rite among the Rendille? Share in the comments.

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