I called today to get an update on the community and ended up calling during the post Ukwalusa ceremony which means that a boy has completed his initiation into manhood and all of the men in Gcinsizwe's area are now having a two day celebration to welcome this "new man" into the coveted Xhosa community of men (as opposed to boys). The entire two days are spent singing/chanting and dancing, this takes place 24 hours a day which is remarkable, I am not sure how they find the energy! The boy who was just initiated spent 3 months in the bush (the forest) and is 20 years old. About 200 men were celebrating his return back to the community. Gcinsizwe was selected to lead the group in the singing of traditional Xhosa tribal songs. As I spoke to him I could hear the raspiness setting into to his vocal chords after hours and hours of singing. He was so happy, this is a time of great joy for the community. The Ukwalusa ceremony is a very important ritual that takes place in the Xhosa kingdom, I actually wrote a paper on it not too long ago. Below you will learn more about this really interesting and awe inspiring right of passage.
The Ukwalusa: Male initiation into manhood
There is one custom that is the most important event in a man’s life. It is known as the Ukwalusa. Between the ages of 18-25, boys are initiated into adult life by means of circumcision, cultural exchange and isolation. Before Ukwalusa, the male is not eligible to participate as
leaders in community events. They are not able to be married, have a family, or inherit property from their fathers. When boys feel that they are ready, they will inform their elders, who then make a recommendation based on the maturity and readiness of the boy.
The Ukwalusa ceremony is held in very high regard, young boys will often ask to become a man before they have the mental capacity to endure the initiation and take on the responsibilities expected by the community. The beginning of the three-month initiation begins with the male having his head shaved by another man in the community; he is then given a necklace made of the hair from a cow’s tail, and a blanket for him to wear until the end of his isolation. The surgeon arrives at dawn to begin preparations for the day’s events. The surgeon is known as Incibi and is a culturally educated surgeon. Often times the surgeons have no formal education as a doctor. The Incibi makes his incision with a sharpened blade and one swift motion and when the circumcision is complete he yells, “You are a man”. These few moments after circumcision are the most important moments of a man’s life. Respect in the tribe is determined by the initiate’s ability to withstand the pain. The expectation is that a real man will keep a relaxed face and will not cry out or admit pain.
The group generally consists of 3-10 initiates, depending on the quantity of eligible boys. When all initiates have been circumcised, their bodies are then smeared with white clay from head to toe and their bodies wrapped in the blanket given to them during the head shaving. The initiates are then appointed a guide, who is a male member of the community who has completed this initiation. The guide is responsible for handing down cultural knowledge to the initiate, explaining the required duties and expectations he will now have placed on him, and is also there to ensure the general well being of the initiate.
The first seven days after circumcision are the most difficult and dangerous. After circumcision the initiate is marched to his new home, a grass hut built for this ceremony which is located in total isolation. For the next seven days he is forbidden to drink water as this will jeopardize the healing process and cause significant pain to his wound. The initiate is given a strict diet of dry maize, slightly boiled and eaten hard. During these first seven days the initiate stays in his hut, careful not to move and risk pain. Although this is a widely spread custom it does not come without risk, as there have been 300 infection related deaths since 1994
After three months in isolation, the initiates are now free to join the community however first they must leave behind their boyhood past. Everything associated with their past must now be destroyed, the hut is burned, their bodies washed clean of the white mud and their blanket discarded. At no point during the walk away from the burning hut may they look back as this is a sign of bad luck. These boys have now become men in the eyes of the community; they are now eligible for marriage, to have families and to be leaders in their communities.
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