On Saturday afternoon we attended a circumcision ceremony. The Maasai circumcise both male and female children. Circumcision marks the entrance into adulthood. I was happy that we didn’t witness the surgery. People in our culture have a hard time accepting female circumcision so much so that it is referred to as genital mutilation.
We did get to see the dancing and celebrations. About thirty young men of the tribe gathered in a circle about ten feet in diameter. Accompanied by throat music several men enter the circle at a time and do standing jumps, at least three feet in the air. It is mesmerizing to listen and watch .
As the sun set we were invited into a Maasai house for stewed beef and Pepsi. Inside this simple house, constructed entirely out of sticks, mud, cow dung and water, one of the Maasai text messaged on his cell phone while drinking a soda pop. Two worlds colliding.
On the walk home, using the flashlights on our cell phones to guide our way, we had a lot to think about.
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