The name is absent

(1) I have today become a soldier of Gikuyu and Mumbi and I will from now
onwards fight the real fight for the land and freedom of our country till we get
it or till my last drop of blood. Today I have set my first step (steeping over
the first line of the goat’s small intestine) as a warrior and I will never retreat:

May this soil and all its products be a curse upon me!

(2) If ever I am called to accompany a raid or bring in the head of an enemy,
I shall obey and never give lame excuses. And if I refuse: May this soil and
all its products curse upon me!

(3) I will never spy or inform on my people, and if ever sent to spy on our
enemies I will always report the truth. And if I fail in this: May this soil and
all its products curse upon me!

(4) I will never reveal a raid or crime committed to any person who has not
taken the Ngero Oath (Oath of Violence or Crime) and will steal firearms
wherever possible. And if I ever reveal our secrets or fail to use or turn over
to our warriors any firearms I acquire: May this soil and all its products
curse upon me!

(5) I will never leave a member in difficulty without trying to help him. And if
I ever abandon a member in trouble: May this soil and all its products be a
curse upon me!

(6) I will obey the orders of my leaders at all times without any arguments or
complaint and will never fail to give them any money or goods taken in a
raid and will never hide any pillages or take them for myself. And If I fail in
these things: May this soil and all its products curse upon me!

(7) I will never sell land to any white man. And if I sell: May this soil and all
its product be a curse upon me!⁷⁰

Many varied practices were associated with Njama^,s statements. For example,
his descriptions included practices such as dropping soil into a gourd after
testimonies; inserting his penis into a hole in a goat while biting the goat when
stating, “May the thenge kill me;” and swinging artifacts like the sword, knife, and
needle over his body seven times while the oathing administrator condemned
him to death for violations.⁷¹ This statement is revealing as it covers the warrior
expectations, oath breaking curse, unity, and the importance of the soil in the
struggle. The associated object symbols and gestures also show how these
things all move together in one accord in the seriousness of oath making.

⁷⁰ Clough, Маи Май Memoirs, 131-132.

⁷¹ Bamett and Njama, Маи Май From Within, 132-133.

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