Initiation ceremony for the new Maasai warriors

Friday marked the arrival of a new generation of Maasai warriors, or murrans. A ritual called “Enkipaata” was marked in our district to see if the new murrans were ready to go under the knife (circumcision) and become the next Maasai army. This celebration happens every 13 years, or sometimes longer.

The murrans to-be were made to spend a night in the bush on their own with no one to guard them or protect them. The next morning elders go and see if they are alright and check whether they were able to endure the night without blankets and not fearing any wild animals.

These photos show the murrans being blessed by the elders because they have been able to spend the night out in the bush on their own. It signifies that the warriors are now ready to be able to take care of their community, and I hope of the wildlife that they live with too. The circumcision ceremony will take place a few months after this ritual.

When such an occasion happened last I was 7 years old, so I wasn’t allowed to attend. Now I am 23. You can imagine how old I will be when the next ceremony happens!