Capítulo 2: The poor boy Thishida Nasimalwa (The shaving ritual)

It was now time for the shaving ritual to be done. The ritual was a very significant exercise in Luhya society. It was mainly done as an assurance of the legitimate ownership of the child. The practice could be compared to the present day, "DNA test". Now there was a procedure laid down to fulfill the process. The grandmother of the child was very important in the preparation process, especially availing the traditional medicine to be used to bathe the child immediately after shaving him/ her. As for this case, Nekunda, who was the grandmother of Thishida, was assembled to make the preparations. Nekunda played her role well and left the remaining role to be performed by Asweda as the father.

The shaving ritual process had very serious consequences which could cost the life of the child if he/ she was not the biological child to the alleged father. It was a very difficult time for mothers, especially where there is doubt about the biological ownership of the child. Suzana reluctantly surrendered her son after being conditioned by the family members. The ritual process was inevitable and in the case of negative findings, it mostly led to divorce as it was proof of infidelity. And for lenient punishment, the unfaithful woman could be beaten naked and forced to expose termites to sting her publicly as people mock her. This process was very shameful.

The father, although still in serious pain, grabbed his son, ready to do the task. The consequences of the ritual are irreversible and, once done, cannot be undone. The next thing that happened surprised everyone. Suzana cried very loudly, "Omwana wangee sa yengene vayie, mndehere", by which he meant that her only child was to be killed, signifying her having known Thishida was not a biological son to Asweda. This was a very difficult time for Asweda to make a decision, considering the family members insisted on the accomplishment of the ritual.

Asweda, being a wise man, held the child back and in a low tone said," I'm really sorry to this poor young boy for innocently having the intention of killing him unknowingly and for this reason my hands set him free". Everyone around could not believe it as it was the first time to witness such a scenario. It was against the community customs and Asweda would be considered a curse to the community for failing to accomplish as the custom requires. For this reason, a cleansing ceremony had to be performed as a way of asking forgiveness to the ancestors. The cleansing ceremony was a form of reconciliation to the ancestors. Infidelity was highly prohibited in the community and was punished by stoning the victim to death. Asweda, realizing the mess, stood up and angrily grabbed his wife Suzana, sand-witched her to the wall and slapped her twice, eventually forcefully pushing her outside their grass-thatched muddy house.

Suzana cried painfully as she was mocked and ridiculed by the family members. She was accused of infidelity and was forced to reveal the name of the biological father of the child. Being a wise lady, she could not utter even a single word despite the pressure from family members and the community as a whole.

Now it was a must for the identity of the child to be revealed. Having no option, "Omusayi" was to be brought to people. "Omusayi" were old people in society who were able to tell the father of the child by just looking at the face of the child and uttering some complicated words. "Omusayi" were very professional, and their revelation was highly valued. Nakhabi was the most trusted omusayi. She was brought up, and her revelation shocked the family. Asweda's immediate brother was the biological father of Thishida. It was now clear that Suzana had messed with her brother-in-law. The situation now worsened as it brought conflict between the two brothers.

It was the victim to face the consequences and the option was either to be stoned to death or being exposed to the victim, to angry, disturbed termites, to be stung as a punishment. Ochilo, knowing very well the consequences awaiting him, ran at a supersonic speed to the hideouts. The young energetic men kept pace in an attempt to catch him, but in vain. He ran and eventually disappeared into the thin air. That is how he saved himself. It is believed he went into a distant village and stayed there.

At that time, Suzana was outside looking helpless awaiting her punishment. The community was ready to execute its mandate and their option was to stone Suzana to death, as evidenced by the stones they were holding in their hands. Asweda was a good person. He was normally called "Imboko", which can simply be translated as a man with a strong stand. Despite the situation, he still stood with his wife. Asweda stood up, struggled with a walking stick and picked up his machete. He went straight outside and ordered everybody to disappear before he messed with them. Everyone ran for their safety and that is how Suzana was saved from wolves who were craving her blood. Suzana hurriedly grabbed her husband, hugged him and thanked him for standing like a man.

The couple returned to their muddy hut and closed their door. It was now time to sort out their issues internally. "My wife, why have you brought me all this shame, why have you decided to expose my nakedness to the world", Asweda lamented in a low tone. Suzana cried for a while and then asked for forgiveness from her man. They reconciled and bonded their relationship. The house now gained happiness again but now had more tasks ahead. The couple had already reconciled, but now the heavy task was now to reconcile with the ancestors and the elders. They had to first present a male goat before the council of elders who would later negotiate with the ancestors on behalf of the family. The next step was to present another goat to be slaughtered to appease the ancestors. Finally, Suzana had to face a council of elders and ask for forgiveness. The hard test for Suzana was to face the council of elders. Convincing those elderly and passing through the process was a hard test. She was to have extra courage and good convincing power considering the tough questions awaiting her.

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