Kenya

2007-10-24

Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr, three male rites of passage of the Maasai community

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Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr are three interrelated male rites of passage of the Maasai community. Enkipaata is the induction of boys leading to initiation, Eunoto is the shaving of the morans paving way to adulthood and Olng'esherr is the meat-eating ceremony marking the end of moranism and the beginning of eldership.
The practitioners of the element are young men of the Maasai community from the age of fifteen through the age of thirty years where they undergo the three male rites of passage; Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr. The young men are required to keep their hair unshaved until after (Eunoto), the second rite of passage. They must set up an isolated homestead called Emanyaatta where they perform their duties together, in line with the rules and regulations of moranism. After Eunoto, Olng’esherr, a meat eating ceremony is performed to mark the onset of the end of the age set. A spear, club, sword, a red checked sheet and traditional shoes are the common features that identify a Moran.
The enactment of these rites is significant to the community because they involve the transmission of indigenous knowledge, including Maasai rituals, legends, traditions and life skills through songs, folktales, proverbs, riddles and events from older to the younger generation, thus providing the Maasai community with a sense of cultural identity and continuity.
These practices are central to the unity, cohesiveness and the social systems of the Maasai community. Other than promoting respect amongst members of the same age set, the practices are important in defining and transferring of responsibilities from one age set to next. The practices underpin the transmission of indigenous knowledge from the elders to the younger generation, while enhancing respect and promotion of moral standards in the community. These practices promote humility and foster hard work amongst the age sets.
Although the implementation measures put in place for these three male rites of passage has supported their viability, there are still a number challenges to the practice. Traditional methods of transmission are threatened by a reduction in the frequency of enactment. It has also been noted that there is a decrease in the level of community participation in the practice of the element. The regular cycle in the practice has changed from approximately eight years to fifteen years. This has largely been prompted by the rural urban migration, adoption of newer lifestyles and influence by modern religious belief.
The traditional settings where the element was informally transmitted to young boys, in Manyattas (temporary settlements), where boys and young men would live together while receiving instructions from elders, have tremendously changed putting in danger this cultural expression. The seclusion of the initiates in the bushes so that they could be imparted with values, knowledge and life skills, away from the rest of the community, rarely takes place. Besides, cultural spaces and places where these practices were held are increasingly diminishing. Traditionally designated cultural spaces and places used for the practice of the element have been encroached on by human settlements of members from other communities. These cultural landscapes have also been affected by infrastructure developments, changing land tenure systems, revised subdivision systems and emerging developments by private developers and immigrants. The reduction in the number and size of these spaces and places has posed serious challenges to the enactment of this element.

Mr.

Litswa

George

Principal Cultural Officer and 2003 Convention Focal Point

+254-0202727980

+254722688930

georgelitswa08@yahoo.com