The new relationship created by including women into the oathing process
required men to embrace women in new roles. This change was certainly an
initial struggle, since men were forced to share the stage with women in Mau
Mau. However, over time women showed those watching that they could be
major war contributors and were politically savvy in moving through doors
normally locked to men. Finally, in this chapter, we have seen examples of
practices that were utilized in the ceremonies involving women that were not a
part of traditional oathing ceremonies. Therefore, the oath was dramatically
changed as a result of the inclusion of women into the process that forever
changed the oathing experience as it was once known in Kenya.
In addition, there are a few elements about the oath that this chapter
reveals. First of all, it is important to recall that the inclusion aspect of the oath
was also extended to other segments of the Kenyan populations including the
young and different ethnicities. The impact was a new level of togetherness and
unity under the common interest of regaining land, dignity, and freedom.
Secondly, unlike the new relationship created in the previous chapter related to
the criminalization of the oath by the colonial administration, the oath-to-women
relationship was African driven. Therefore, it shows an internal response to the
Mau Mau period and a new consciousness of the importance to unify regardless
of sex, ethnicity, and age. This perspective speaks to the complex social and
political structures that were at work at this particular moment in history. Gender
role changes -and the stories that surround the study- are dynamic and a
function of the changed political and social landscape; not only do the changes
186