Circumcision among the Tachoni community
By Joan Wesakulila
Circumsion among the Tachoni community, who are Kalenjins assimilated by the luhya people and share land with the Bukusu people is a highly valued rite of passage.
Every even year in the luhya community especially during the months of August and December marks a historic event in initiation ceremonies especially circumcision.
These ceremonies are done at intervals some skipping a year while some communities doing it after 5 or 4 years. Most circumcision ceremonies are done during an even year.
This is a year every one especially those who derive pleasure in circumcision can’t wait for it to come and celebrate.
Circumcision preparation
Preparations start early and when everything is in place the initiate is good to go. Here initiates comprised of both girls and boys who show interest in participating in the ritual that was treated reverend from time memorial.
According to the Tachoni chairman Mzee See Wekesa who is a political, economical and cultural writer the Tachonis have sixteen senates under the customary law where circumcision was among them.
He says 8 elders from the Tachoni were sent to prison in Kakamega for encouraging circumcision among girls and later transferred to Kisumu.
In 1983 Tachoni cultural group was formed (Bomatacho) and resolved to discouraging circumcision among girls from the community.
Initially circumcision of girls among the Tachoni required them to lie on their backs in a cattle den then after passing through the knife successfully a guard of sour milk was poured on their chests by their fathers as a sign of blessings.
See Wekesa says a person who was going to face the knife among the Tachoni was referred to as a ‘Layoni’ and such Layonis had to observe and adhere to behaviors of the community (omulukha).
Women in the Tachoni community challenged men to face the knife citing the foreskin looking dirty and unhealthy.
He says circumcision in the 19th century among the Tachoni was an ongoing process and this is where the “rebanga kitimule wanyoa ebuyumbu” (ask kitimule from bukusus to tell you )… saying came about.
Mango from the Bukusu’s visited the Tachoni’s and was interested in facing the knife, but before he was allowed there was a serpent that was disturbing and causing harm to residents. He was asked to kill it.
Mango managed to kill it and was challenged to face the knife saying if he was able to kill the serpent why not get circumcised and that’s when (embalu ya mango) was born.
He goes on to explain to us that if someone was facing the knife in Tachoni they had to face eastwards unlike in bukusu where they face west, and others communities who face elsewhere.
Circumcision procedure
The boys between 13 -15yrs who want to face the knife were prepared by being passed through all sorts of threats to determine if they can endure the circumcision or if they will be afraid before being allowed. (Okhwisaya process)
It was shame for a candidate to cry during circumcision and such a person would live with that shame all his life and will not be allowed to participate in some cultural ceremonies..
The surgeons (avakhevi) assemble to prepare their knives by getting them blessed through prayers before the boys are given a list of their relatives to invite for circumcision.
Mzee See Wekesa says the process starts on the eve of inviting relatives when the boy goes to the river to brings water that will be added to the prepared liquor to determine a prepared face.
The initiates go to the relatives home one after another to invite them where they are given presents like maize, millet, sorghum etc.
The last person to be invited is the uncle who gives him meat that hangs on the chest (likhoni)
If he has to be initiated with others they are all assembled in the evening to be given the last tie of meat prepared such that they can always swear with reference to the tie for assurance
The bells (chinyimba) are rang the whole night to harden the boys in preparation for circumcision.
When morning dawns the boys are taken to the river (siloba) and brought home with clay smeared on their heads and the surgeon plays his part of (khukheva) and blows the whistle.
Song dance and ululations engulf the place when the boy courageously goes through the knife.
After initiation
After the initiation process then comes (obufulu) stage, after the circumcision, the initiates are hidden from their parents and a small girls whose breasts have not protruded known as (Namakhala) takes care of them by feeding and doing everything the (omufulu) needs where they are put to stay (mwikombe) and during this period the initiated boys do not shave their hair
When they are healed another crucial step that takes place is (okhwalukha). The initiates are taken to (esitavibicha) for their pass out on traditional baptism.
A panel of elders who are pure in behavior administer the baptism with different groups of beer pots and clans led by the avasioya clan.
It is during this time that song and dance again takes the centre stage, three types of songs are used when coming out of esitavicha thanking God for the far they have come.
The boys are instructed not to look back on their way to the courtyard. On arrival porridge is prepared and the initiates drink while kneeling down facing towards the east.
During the night the boys are taught various lessons including sexual lessons. There comes the (oluvito) where the initiates are given rules and regulations to guide them in their entire life.
Here they are discouraged from sitting with their mothers in the kitchen, never to serve food from their mums pots. They are told to seek advise mostly from their fathers while girls seek from their mothers .
You can also read importance of child naming among the Tachoni community here.
They are told to be responsible just in case the parents are not around and respecting the older In the community.
The boys are also asked to erect their first houses known as (isimba) and understand the philosophy of open doors are theirs while closed ones are not “omwikule nokukwoo omwikale kwabene”, directly translated, an open door is yours, a closed door is not yours.
They also had eight age sets, Kolongolo, Kikwameti, Kananachi, Kinyikeu Nyange, Maina, Chuma and Saawa respectively and each age set was done on an interval basis of ten years uniformly except the Chuma which were given an additional pair to complete a century.
