behavior.50 Nudity was also an important aspect of the oath symbolically for the
same reasons above, as some participants mentioned the need to remove all
clothes during the Ceremonyto invoke all of the mentioned feelings and emotions
associated with sexual disobedience.
Ng’ondu Symbolism
Ng’ondu was used in Kenya for purifying and cleansing. This mixture was
embraced during Mau Mau oathing ceremonies for the same purposes. During
the healing phase, the ng’ondu was symbolic of the actual act of purifying and
unifiying and served as medicine for healing. It was a combination of herbs, oils,
and sometimes animal parts.51 One Mau Mau oath taker involved in this process
commented that after eating the meat, “We became one.”52 The act of eating the
ng’ondu together created a bond between all participants.
Weapon Symbolism
Warrior artifacts in the form of a sword, spear, or shield were also
dominant symbols in Mau Mau oathing. These instruments were used in the
ceremony as a means of contacting the spirits associated with the victim.53 The
weapons were symbolic of the Mau Mau struggle and were often used during the
swearing process indicating that they symbolized a gateway to the spiritual world
and power so that their utterances could be heard spiritually. One participant
50 Bamett and Njama, Mau Mau From Within, 126.
51 Lindblom, The Akamba, 295.
52Interview, P. Musuo, January 2009, Machakos District.
53 Interview, Amina, December 2008, Machakos District. Also see notes from Lindblom, The Akamba, 258.
95
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