Conclusion
Many African ceremonies were situated in very specific conditions that
varied according to the participants, location, resources available, time, specific
social conditions, and values at the moment of the ceremony. This was
undoubtedly the case for the Mau Mau oath. This oath was a dynamic and
sophisticated system of relationships, rules, and structures. It was a very
customized and unique experience that involved tailored oathing statements,
symbolic gestures, oath participants, oath types, and a specific oath location. The
process was complicated even more with: the inclusion of women and young
people in ceremonies (both are groups that were previously excluded from
political oathing practices in traditional society); colonial criminalization increasing
the need for secrecy; and oathing purification∕cleansing allowing the re-entry of
some Mau Mau oathers back into the villages. There were layers of variables,
structures, and relationships that went into the making of the oath and the
making of the Mau Mau movement.
The oathing ceremony was a dynamic performance with basic structures,
relationships, guidelines, and principles. What is most intriguing about this
oathing analysis is that despite the variables, it was the similarity in values,
beliefs, objectives, and principles associated with the conflict that created the
uniformity of the oathing experience. The ethnic unity and nationalism that
resulted from the circumstances that created the Mau Mau movement were
natural. There was a common enemy that stole African land and freedom; it
became a universal bond for African unity. The ultimate goal of Kenya was unity
105
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