Carrying a sheathed knife, a Samburu youth prepares for his initiation into warriorhood.A forest clearing at the base of Mount Nyiro, the Samburu holy mountain.A procession of boys lead a herd of white bulls, one of which will be forced up the eight-thousand foot mountain for ritual sacrifice.Preparing for their ascent on Mt. Nyiro, the initiated boys gather at the foot of the mountain carrying long staves that they will later fashion into arrows.The boys chant the Labarta, honoring the white bull: “Tell them we have killed the white bull on Mount Nyiro, the white bull that has suckled milk from its mother, And has milk in its stomach, Nyiro is blessed where we have killed the bull …”.The older boys provide a bass accompanyment, while the young initiates voices soar to the heavens.Responding to the emotional intensity of the ceremony, initiates often fall into a trance state called Ndokuna, their bodies rigid as if in an epileptic state.At Left: An initiate collects old man’s beard moss, juniper leaves, and special grasses from the forest at the peak of Mount Nyiro, which he will knot into his cowl. At right: As another form of blessing, the boy’s face has been smeared with white chalk paint by the elders.An initiate whose hair is blackened with charcoal and oil carries a grass blessing tied into the knot of his hide toga.The initiates gather in their long blackened hide capes preparing for the rituals atop the holy Mount Nyiro.An initiate plays a home-made flute fashioned from a water pipe.At left: The ceremony, called Lmongo Surwa Lo Layiok, takes place at the top of Mount Nyiro, where the elders say they are closest to God. At right: After the slaughter of the sacrificial white bull, each initiate is given a morsel of the meat to consume, uniting the generation.Following their descent from the mountain, the boys gather in circles to celebrate the completion of the first stage of their initiation and prepare for the next.The boys dance and sing songs to reinforce the bonds of their age group and prepare them for the next stage of their initiation: circumcisionThe initiates’ spirits are high and they express their energy in advance of circumcision which is the final ritual before they become warriors.The boys collect large beetles and suspend the reddish wing cases from strands of blue beads that hang down their backs or are sometimes worn in their hair.At left: Mothers plant saplings at the entrance of the healing huts where their sons will be circumcised. At right: a mother shaves her son’s head in preparation for his ordeal.After circumcision, each boy is carried to his mother’s hut and placed on a bed of hides. The jugular vein of a cow is pierced with an arrow, and blood is collected for the newly circumcised boy to drink, restoring his strength.When the Samburu initiate has healed, he is sent by the elders to shoot birds with a bow and arrow – a practice preceeding the killing of larger dangerous animals.The colorful birds shot by initiates are attached to their headbands to display their skill as hunters.
