a place called Masala in a cave.”28 In another account, the forest was a common
location for Mau Mau oathing ceremonies.29
The Mau Mau movement is still remembered by its association and
attachment with the forest. Even in recent conversations on the topic, there are
myths that Mau Mau participants still live and hide there.30 Historically, forests
were the primary locations for traditional initiation and hunting ceremonies.
Oathing ceremonies in this setting took on a different experience because of its
closeness to the natural and spiritual world. However, it is important to note that
based on interview accounts, if the oath was held in a detention camp or house,
there was a higher probability that interviewees would state that the location was
not symbolic. This differs from the respondents that oathed in the forest.
The Oath Roles
All Mau Mau participants played, at a minimum, one role which is shown
by object 2.2., Oathing Roles. In most ceremonies there are distinguishable
roles; the oath taker, the oath administrator, and the guard.31 The oath taker is
the dominant character of the ceremony, responsible for repeating dictated
words, statements, gestures, and acts. In pre-colonial oathing practices, women
and the young were typically excluded from the oathing practices. However, as
28 Interview, S. Kakie, January, 2009, Machakos District.
29 Interview, J.M. Malei, January 2009, Machakos, Kenya.
301 found this also to be the case with my Kenyan husband and family who claim that Mau Mau
participants still live in the forests. I clearly remember my mother’s statement that, “if you go there, you
may see them; they think the war is still happening”. The discussion continued with a description of how
they looked. What is revealing is that these new oral accounts on the topic continue to develop and have a
place in modem Kenya. This note is here to also suggest the need for more research on the contemporary
myths of Mau Mau and how they continue to be imagined and re-imagined.
3lInterview, P. Musuo, January 2009, Machakos District, Interview. D. M. Mulwa, January 2009,
Machakos District.
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