Newborn

It was the year 1937, late November, and Martha had just given birth to her first baby girl after already having 4 boys. She desperately wanted to have a daughter because even though a son was preferred by the entire village, particularly the men, daughters were preferred by the women of the village since they offered more help around the house; as opposed to the sons whose job was to go fishing and hunting as well as protect the village from Intruders when they eventually became warriors.

The village was ruled by the Chief who also took on the role of supreme judge whenever a case was too big for the village headman to handle. The village headman oversaw all the goings on of the village and reported to him the important matters in the presence of his trusted advisors.

The village headman, along with most of the people in the village, came to the home of Martha and Lutu - her husband - to present a gift to congratulate them on the new addition to their family and the village. The gift was a fattened bull and 5 chickens. For a son, the gift was 2 bulls, 3 goats and 8 chickens. However, regardless of the lesser gift she received, she was still overjoyed to finally have a daughter. And with Lutu's permission, she named her Cecilia.

Before the official celebration and feast over the newborn could commence full swing, a blessing was required for the baby from the village witch doctor, called Nganga. Once the nganga had performed the blessing ritual over the baby, the village headman gave order for the celebration to begin.

There was singing and dancing outside Martha and Lutu's hut. The men played drums and drank home-brewed fermented beer while the women danced rotating their hips with wraps tied around their waists; however they were only allowed to drink cow's and goat's milk. The party went on until the drummers couldn't drum anymore and the dancers were too tired to keep dancing. At that time, it was very late in the night and most of the men were passed out drank. It was then the village headman's duty to disperse the crowd. The wives took their husbands home but the ones who were too incapacitated to go home slept over outside the couple's hut by the fire and left the next morning.

The months following the birth of Cecilia consisted of frequent trips to the witch doctor to insure that she was healthy and free from any spells that might be cast on her. Martha wasn't comfortable with it but it was the way of the village.

"I wish we didn't have to deal with all these rituals," she expressed to Lutu.

"I know. But this is tradition," Lutu replied with a stern look on his face.

Martha could not object too much for it would lead to punishment by her husband or the village headman should he decide to report her to him. Consequently, that would lead to her being publicly disgraced which seemed too extreme for such a small matter. So she obediently complied. She could only shield her beloved daughter from so much.

As the child was growing, Martha taught her how to cook, clean and fetch water from the river a few kilometers away from the village. Most of all, she taught her to be obedient without question. She always warned her of what would happen if she even so much as spoke out against a man. According to the village customs, one of the duties of a woman was to groom her daughter for marriage and submission to the men.

"I don't want you to lose your life young, my daughter," she told her.

"I understand mother," Cecilia replied fearfully.

At the age of 8, Martha had to take Cecilia to the elder women of the village to have the symbol of two els (ll) tattooed in specific places on her body. The tattoos were commonly known as "Nembo".

"You need to be strong to survive in this world. Remember, don't cry or shout tomorrow when I take you to the elder women because they will hurt you severely if you do," she warned.

"Yes mother."

The elder women of the village were called "Bana Chimbusa". They were tough and rather cruel women who were also responsible for making those tattoos and teaching young girls harsh lessons especially before the girls were married off. They would do unspeakable things to the girls all in the name of preparing them for the future. Because of this, these women were the most feared by young women and girls, but the most respected women in the village, particularly by the men.

The tattoos were made with a small knife dipped in ritualistic herb paste on the forehead, neck, hands - below the thumbs, stomach - above or below the belly button, twice around the waist, inner thighs, and on the ankles. The villagers viewed the tattoos as a mark of Honor and they believed that they protected them from evil spirits. After the tattoos were done, ritual water was sprinkled over Cecilia while various chants are spoken. According to the villagers, she was now ready for what lay ahead.