The name is absent

This chapter examines the intersection of purification and oathing as two
dynamic and long-standing practices in Kenya. It aims to show that like oathing,
purification was also a distinct system in Kenya full of historical significance,
ceremonies, symbolism, structure, and meaning. The chapter argues that Mau
Mau forced the creation of a new oath-purification relationship designed to
protect community members and showing the adaptability and flexibility of the
oath to integrate into existing structures as needed while also showing the
complexity of the purification system. Thus this chapter also shows that similar to
oathing, purification was also a dynamic and adaptive system with connections
that evolved overtime. It shows how purification was altered in the new Mau Mau
oath.

The first section generally defines purification in Kenya by examining the
broad components, structure, and process as background for the chapter. The
analysis is then broadened to include how others have defined, imagined, and
conceptualized purification. The second section focuses on purification across
time and space in Kenya by examining how it was used during the pre-colonial
and colonial periods. This section closely examines how the Mau Mau
emergency created the need for Mau Mau oath purification which played out in
different forms and was a function of environmental management. The third area
examines the historical application of purification based on specific life stages
and committed offenses. And finally, the last section focuses on the dynamic
Mau Mau oath purification process.

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