Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton by Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna Read Free Book Online Page B

other mother put down her club.
    Then the circumciser hit me on the thigh with the flat side of the knife. He said, “Wake up. You’re a man now. You’re a man.” You have to hear that. From that time on, your world has changed forever. At that time, it felt like heaven had opened and everything was clear, except the pain was getting worse by the minute.
    I didn’t get up until I was given all the cows I’d earned. As soon as you pass the test, you’re allowed to ask for cows from everyone in your family who is present. I got 22 that day. Then they carried me to my mother’shut, where there were two big beds made of branches and covered with skin. I lay down on top of that skin, and the pain just kept coming on. There is no medicine, no painkiller. You just go through it. I could hear my brothers and other people all around us— “Ohhhh! Ohhh!” I was doing that, too. But the worst was over; the healing had started.
     
    WE ALL REMAINED in the village for a couple of months to heal, to grow close to one another, and to get ready for the big feast to celebrate our initiation. Beginning two days after the circumcision, each warrior is supposed to kill birds to make a skin headband. A good headband takes about 15 birds. This is where those special arrows tipped with gum come in. You have to hit the birds with blunt arrows and knock them down. You do this while you’re still in pain, still sore. But the good thing is, you don’t wear any clothes during this time, especially when hunting. After you kill your birds, you skin them—you have to be good at skinning as well as at shooting—and you line them up on a string.
    The problem for me was that I was still young and not very good with a bow. But I had a friend, Nkadaru, who was crippled. He walked with crutches that the missionaries had given him. He was older, in his 20s.He may not have been able to walk well, but he was a good shot, and he was smart—he knew where to find the birds. We decided to work together.
    At this point, the only thing we were allowed to eat was saroi . It’s milk and blood that’s been fermented for days. It’s believed to rebuild your blood, and we certainly needed rebuilding because you lose a lot of blood during circumcision. So we brought a gourd of saroi and we camped in a big, big tree. Sure enough, all these birds came out. Nkadaru shot them down, and my job was to run and bring them back. I had to be quick because some would regain consciousness and run away. As soon as they hit the ground, I ran and grabbed them. Then we skinned them—Nkadaru was a very good skinner. We got a lot of birds that way. I had more than 15 on my string. That surprised my brother Lmatarion, who was hunting by himself somewhere else. He got only 12.
     
    THE BIG OCCASION when we were finally recognized as men was a ceremony called lmuget. Each new warrior was required to slaughter a cow, and all of the tribe came from many surrounding villages to join the feast. This ceremony marked the end of the long celebrations. During the months that we had spent together, my age-mates and I had formed lifelong friendships.
    Cows have special parts. The most important part is the nkiyeu , or chest area, because it holds the heart. For the lmuget ceremony, each new warrior selects another warrior who he feels will be a trusted friend forever, one he can confide in during times of hardship and times of happiness. He calls this warrior Nkiyeu and gives him that part of his cow. Then the friends drink together, and that saroi binds them forever. I have two Nkiyeus—Leneepe and Lesamama.
    Sitting at that feast with my family and friends, I felt so good. Conquering the circumciser’s knife made me feel that I could conquer all the challenges that would ever come my way. I had earned my place in the brotherhood of warriors and could take part in community decisions. I was a man.

Chapter 8
Kabarak
    When I was born, a lion was born.
    I can kill a lion on flat land and