In Samburu land, men treats women like objects or sex slaves, the climate is usually harsh and most men spend their times playing such games like "mbao"(pictured left), in bushes and eating meat. This habit accelerate the culture of beading to young Samburu girls by Moran.
 |
| A young Samburu Moran |
Moran are usually "young men" who the community hold their status highly as the protector of community interests. Thus this men spend their times in bushes playing mbao and eating meat and discussing how to attack other communities (mostly Turukana community), and steal their cattle's.
 |
| A older Moran |
|
|
 |
| A Samburu woman |
Due to this habit of catlle rustling, some Samburu mothers holds this Morans in high status and welcomes them in beading their young girls.
 |
| Samburu women making beads |
The beading culture means that a Moran can give a young girl a neck less of beads which is like announcing that this girl is taken by this Moran and will use her to satisfy his sex wishes.The girls mother build them a small Manyatta where they will be spending nights together.The Moran has all rights of coming at any time of night, wake up the girls mother for food and later on ask for the girl so that he can take her to the Manyatta for the night.
 |
| A Samburu manyatta |
The worst happens if the girls gets impregnated by this Moran. The Moran never cares about the girl again and he just leaves for another girl within or in another Manyatta.
The girls mother takes all the responsibilities which include how to terminate the pregnancy as no Moran in Samburu would marry a girl with a child, yet they are the cause of this children born out of wed lock. Different methods are used to try and terminate the pregnancy, first the girl is forced to sniff tobacco which will make her keep on sneezing till the embryo comes out. If this fails, the mother gets a group of women who lays the girl down and steps on her small tummy in turns until bloods comes out from girls private parts.
This is the culture that should stop as it is doing no good to this young girls and Samburu community at large. Samburu has so many different cultures that can still be used to promote this great community, but beading of young girls should stop at all cost.
Dancing is one such culture that can still go in marketing the community globally.
The dance involves men and women coming together and dance in different ways like jumping, moving in cycles holding hands and producing entertaining harms.
some times the men just harm sounds and clamping while the women dance while moving around like the picture on the right shows.
 |
| Young mother |
This young Samburu girl (L) was beaded and later impregnated by a Samburu Moran who never cared about her or the new born child.
The pain is so much as the Moran is related to her and due to this he can only have sex with her but cannot marry her.
 |
| A Young Samburu girl |
I met another girl(R) who had just being beaded, she looked stressed but she said she had no option as the Moran are dangerous and can harm her family if she does not agree to be beaded.
Is the high time that this practice stops, Samburu like any other Kenyan girl needs support and education. Samburu leaders should condemn strongly this practice no matter the cost in their political fields.
No comments:
Post a Comment