Spiritual Mapping: Problems Identified in the Land

 

1)       Abject Poverty

2)       Lack of Good Clean Water (Source: Rivers, which dry up for months)  Share Water Supply (River) with Animals – Camels, Cows, Sheep, and Goats

3)       Drought - Lack and Shortage of Rain.  Poor or Non-existent Irrigation Systems

4)       Suffering

5)       Hopelessness

6)       Hunger – Lack and Shortage of Food

7)       Drunkenness – Behavioral Perversion

8)       Rebellion

9)       Bondages

10)   Corruption

11)   Evil Practices

12)   Wickedness

13)   Drink Blood of Animals

14)   Problems with Food Security

15)   Illiterate - Poor Education – Lack of School Fees

16)   Theft is common 

17)   Violence (especially related to marrying girls) Spousal Abuse – wives often chased out of their homes

18)   Polygamy – out of 10,000 people, only 8 have 1 wife.  Average number of wives is 2-10 wives

19)   Raidings, Killings of People & Animals in Uganda, Turkana and Sabot

20)   Problems with not enough Dowry (animals) boy often kills girl’s father

21)   Body Cuts - men get these after killing a Lion, & after killing enemy tribes. Women have cuts on waist & stomach (for beauty)

22)   Images – Carved out of wood and Graven Images carved out of stone. 

23)   Sexual Perversion, Immorality, Adultery rampant,  STD (sexually transmitted diseases)

24)   Idolatry – Idol Worship

25)  ALTARS (see separate page)

26)   Sorcerery

27)   Witchcraft

28)   Witch doctors

29)   Diviners

30)   Enchanters

31)   Magicians

32)   Circumcision (male)  Circumcision (FGM - female genital mutilation)  - Performed in their homes in their villages

33)   Trading of Guns & Ammunition – (UGANDA IS A GATEWAY)

34)   Drunkenness (brew from Chaneaa, Uganda)

35)   Human Diseases  AIDS (30 in his jurisdiction)  Malaria & Typhoid,  TB & Meningitis,  Ringworm

36)   Animal Disease

 

37)   ALTARS:  Six Known

 

 Lobore – Ancient Satanic Worship (Rituals and Traditions)

                             The Altar is located in a small Forest at the Sycamore tree.

                 28 bulls were killed there and the Elders & 3 Prophets stayed there

for 3 months for three months in the bush and ordered young men to

bring a bull from every village (28) of them.

                 They offered them to the gods, and ate them.  They drank alcohol.

                 They also slaughtered goats and sheep.

           When there is ceremony, the elders build a small hut at the Altar

site for the prophet who will stay until the rituals are completed. It is   torn down after ceremony has been performed.

 

Images:  There are two large carved stones on which to place the goats and sheep when slaughtered.  After the animals are slaughtered the bones are brought to the large carved stone and piled up.  They remain until another ritual is performed.  An elderly woman will come and clean the stone.  

 

 Murgole - (near Lobore – close to the River.

                 Is located in a large Forest area

     Bloodshed – Human Sacrifice,

     (buried a young boy alive, head first)

           When there is ceremony, the elders build a small hut at the Altar

site for the prophet who will stay until the rituals are completed. It is torn down after the ceremony has been performed.

 

Images:  There is one carved stone on which to place the goats and sheep when slaughtered.  After the animals are slaughtered the bones are brought to the large carved stone and piled up.  They remain until another ritual is performed.  An elderly woman will come and clean the stone.  

 

Morata - (Located in a large local Forest area)

     Bloodshed – Human Sacrifice

     Rituals/Traditions:

                (E.g. bury spears, arrows, bullets, fruits, milk, honey, & even grass)

         

    When there is ceremony, the elders build a small hut at the Altar

site for the prophet who will stay until the rituals are completed. It is   torn down after the ceremony has been performed.

 

Images:  There are two large carved stones on which to place the goats and sheep when slaughtered.  After the animals are slaughtered the bones are brought to the large carved stone and piled up.  They remain until another ritual is performed.  An elderly woman will come and clean the stone.  

 

Mount Kadm

    (Located near a large River with lots of flowing water from Jan to Jan.)

This is the largest Ancestral Altar located in a large Forest area that has

many large trees.

                They come to worship and communicate with the dead at this Altar.

         

     When there is ceremony, the elders build a small hut at the Altar

site for the prophet who will stay until the rituals are completed.  It is torn down after the ceremony has been performed.

 

Images:  There are two large carved stones on which to place the goats and sheep when slaughtered.  After the animals are slaughtered the bones are brought to the large carved stone and piled up.  They remain until another ritual is performed.  An elderly woman will come and clean the stone.  

 

Rivers – (Naror River) - Marine Altar

Fresh water is always flowing from a rock from an underground spring

from January to January.

    Rituals and Traditions performed here.

    Many killings have taken place at the Rivers.

    Sorcerers, Enchanters and Diviners come to the River.

    Prophets from Karamoja & Pokot meet at the Rivers for Ceremonies.

    Many accidents are known to have taken place at the rivers.

    Drowning Accidents and Suicides

          

    When there is ceremony, the elders build a small hut at the Altar

    site for the prophet who will stay until the rituals are completed. It is

    torn down after the ritual has been performed

 

 

Pokot Cultures, Customs & Traditions

 

Circumcision (male)

- It is believed that this originated from Egypt

Circumcision (female)

      (FGM - female genital mutilation)

-          introduced in 1960 by the elders in the community

-          the parents of the daughter have to first go to an old man (elder) and ask permission.

 

Ritual: (Sapana)

When boys go from childhood to adulthood (from 14-18 years)

            After ritual they are eligible both to marry and sit with elders.

            Criteria:  Kill a bull and drink alcohol.

From 50-500 people attend this ceremony with dancing, music, milk & food.

 

Ritual:  (Parpara)

When a woman becomes pregnant with her first child, the elders perform a ritual.

The husband brings honey and water and puts it in a container for 3-4 days, which then ferments and becomes alcohol which is served at the celebration.

Two respected elders and two respected women then come and bless the child while it is still inside the womb.

They put black Soil on her arms, legs and across the woman’s stomach and from the breasts making an “H” shape. 

They pray all night that both family lines of sins will be broken.

 

Ritual:  (Raids)

Pokot men go to raid animals in Turkana or Karamoja and kill enemy men.  Then when they reach home, they cannot enter their home or greet anyone.  They must stay in the bush until a respected elder comes & brings food.  The elder brings old discarded dirty cups and that’s what food is served in. The Elder shaves a portion of the head at the front. He performs a ritual for cleaning purposes by killing a white goat.  The elder kills the goat, and smears the intestines all over the body, even the shoes, their weapon, arrows, everything they have on.  Then they are told to go and wash in the river.  The Elder then puts the wet skin of the white goat on the head, wrists, knees and elbows of the man who performed the killings.  The purpose is that they have sinned and need cleansing.  They may now go home to his family.  However, they must wear these goat skins for one month. 

 

Ritual: (Removal of Teeth)

Removal of two lower teeth of males and females at 11-12 years of age. This is done in 1942 because of an outbreak of meningitis.  Because the people could not open their mouths when they had meningitis, the elders decided to permanently remove the teeth so the medicine could enter easily.

 

 

Custom:  (Adogoo)

After reaching the age of 1l-15, a boy changes his name to the colour of his bull (white, red, brown, grey, or black).  All the boys and girls from the village come together in the dark at night and play while jumping up and down (they can jump up and down from 4-6 hours like the Masai). The boys form 2 circles according to their ages while the girls stand in the middle (singing) or chanting songs.   Each boy then gets in the middle of the circle to sing his song of the bull; and begins praising his bull by describing what his bull was like, the horns, the colour, the size, the tail and then he starts jumping.  Two girls start singing (chanting) and jumping with him.  All the team sings and claps their hands.  This is repeated until all the boys have praised and described their bull.  It is during this ceremony that boys and girls begin their relationships.  When the girls run to their homes, the boys follow them and ask them to begin a relationship with them or ask them to marry them.

Purpose:  The bull is like a god and the boy takes the characteristics of the bull.

 

Ritual: (Alkoria)

In March and May, at the time of seed planting, the women go outside their farms in one location and have a type of celebration whereby they bring Ugali mixed with millet and sorgum and the cream from the milk.  They lay the Ugali mixture down on the ground where there are thousands of small black insects (Chemengn); they then light a fire there. The food becomes an Altar in front of the insects and they come out of the hole, and take the food inside their holes. The young ladies dance around the Altar and sing.  About 4-6 elderly women will ask for blessing and favor on their seeds and they ask for rain so they can have an abundant harvest.  At the time of harvest these same insects come in a straight line and take the food back to their holes.

 

Marriage:

After the Adogoo ceremony, when the boys and girls are attracted to one another, and begin their friendships, some enter into marriage.  The boy must go to the home of the girl’s parents and ask for her hand in marriage.  If the father agrees, he negotiates the dowry which is from 20-60 cows as payment for a wife. 

 

Boys can marry at age 14-18.  Girls can marry at age 12-13.  Girls have absolutely no say in their marriage partner.

 

The husband-to-be gathers a team of 20-30 of his male friends and informs them of his impending marriage.  The boy’s father makes alcoholic drinks (made from honey, which is the traditional Pokot alcohol). The parents of the boy then take white ostridge feathers and put it on their heads and the mother of the boy wears ostridge feathers and cowry shells around her neck. She also applies milk on both her shoulders and a group of women, (6-10) accompany her, her husband and their friends to the home of the bride-to to. They all bring food and drink with them.  In the early morning, if the girl’s father notices the boys outside, he will tell the girl to come and stay inside until they see the father of the husband-to-be and his team coming.  After entering inside the home (which is round), they come directly to where the cows are sleeping (also inside the house) and sit down with the team.  When the parents are inside the home, the father of the bride-to-be calls his daughter.   He tells the daughter to come out of the house and tells her to escort the people and informs her that he has given her away in marriage.  This will be the first time she is told that she is being given away.  At this point she will be in shock (since she is so young), will cry and refuse to come but the father says, “We have accepted, so you just go, and stop crying.  I will give you a cow.”  If the girl refuses and runs outside, the boys (20-30) will forcefully abduct the innocent girl because permission has already been granted from the father without the consent of the girl. Whether the girl likes it or not, she has been given away to the husband-to-be and is married that day.  The entire group makes a Pokot chant and the husband-to-be and the team takes the bride-to-be to his home since he still lives with his parents.  They go and eat and drink at the parent’s home.  Ten people remain at the girl’s parents home eating and drinking food. He is not allowed to touch his wife.  That night the wife sleeps with other young children and older mothers.  The husband and team sleep outside. 

 

The following day the parents of the groom will allow their son to go and sleep in their bed where the marriage is consummated.  The next morning the mother of the boy brings the skin of a cow and places it down in the direction of the sun. The new wife will be brought out and she sits straight-legged, facing the sun on the skin of the cow.  Fresh milk will be given to a young boy & a young girl and they pour the milk down the front of her head where it flows to her arms, body, legs and feet.  All the time the milk is being poured, an elder is speaking and saying “now you are the wife of this husband and you are respected and no one else will touch you.” The bride then removes her old clothes and cowry shells (beads) and they are divided among the people of the village.  The family of her husband gives her new clothes and three new bracelets. 

 

The husband and his wife will stay in his parent’s home and sleep in the parent’s bed for one month.  After that month is completed, the wife will begin building their home (it is Pokot custom for women to build houses.  It takes approximately one month to build a house).  Of course, since the new wife is so young, the women in the community will help build the house.

 

Ritual: (Death)

A ritual of cleansing takes place when a person dies.  Two things take place.  If a person dies at home, an elder from another tribe comes and kills a bull from the home of the dead person.  He cleanses all the children and shaves the hair of all the women and all the children.  This is a sign of mourning.  Then after one month the same elder comes again after the New Moon; he kills another bull and all the belongings of the dead person (spears, arrows, clothes, shoes – all his personal belongings), are brought early in the morning when the sun is rising, and he prays for his belongings to be cleansed. His personal effects are divided up among relatives or friends.