We live in a time when people treat their ancestors with absolute disregard or disrespect. We despise their traditions and rituals. We find everything they introduced bizarre or horrifying. And those who still follow their beliefs or perform some of their rituals are belittled by the urban class and labeled as uncivilized or downright savage. But the truth remains that all of these practices, no matter how fun or scary they look, served some purposes. They made great warriors out of average men. They nurtured faithful wives and respectful children. They determined great leaders and at the same time formed a base from which we are now. And that’s why I don’t hesitate to pay tribute to those who still worship our ancestors and are not ashamed of their own culture. In fact, if you thought all of these practices were long gone with the wind, here are 6 African tribes and their appalling practices (in your opinion) that are willing to tarnish their image but make our ancestors proud:
1. The Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania – female genital mutilation
For a very long time the Maasai have circumcised their wives just to keep them from having sex until they are married. This practice, justified by some of the Maasai elders, is very important in Maasai culture as it helps control women’s libido. As a result, a Maasai woman will always refrain from sexual fantasies until she is ready for marriage. The shocking part is that a woman’s genitals are cut off with a sharp object and she should endure the pain without any form of anesthesia.
2. The Suri and Surma tribes of Ethiopia – Men struggling to impress a woman for marriage
While you can easily meet a girl online and ask to marry you, in order for them to marry a woman, Suri and Surma men have to fight and win. According to a certain Suri elder, a Suri man must perform a ritual of covering his body and face in clay and then walking naked while carrying an 8ft pole. This ceremony is commonly referred to as Donga by the locals of this country. After that, he will have to engage other single men in a fight while a large number of unmarried Surma women look on, patiently waiting to choose the winners as their husbands.
3. Hamer tribe of south-west Ethiopia – women bull jumping
This can be considered difficult in today’s world for Hamer women from southwestern Ethiopia it is more of a normal life stage. The worst thing is that before you are allowed to participate in this bull-leaping ritual, you must first perform a series of blows on your back and buttocks until some scars appear, indicating that you have already gone through the ritual and you are now a grown woman who is very ready for marriage. A hammerman, on the other hand, can marry up to four wives, and when he dies, all his wealth is divided equally among the wives, but not among the children.
4. The Zulu tribes in South Africa – circumcision rites
Zulu teenagers must undergo a bizarre circumcision rite in order to become men. Usually in Zulu, these boys are kidnapped and taken to a secret place where only older women have access, who bring them food and drink. They are then covered in white dust before being trimmed with sharp blades or stones. As a result, most of them generally have disfigured genitals; and some even die in the process. The wounds are usually treated and tended with mad or animal waste. It can take up to four months for these boys to fully heal.
5. The Hausa Tribes of Nigeria – Bloody Boxing
The Saharan Hausa have their own traditional boxing practice which they call Dambe. Although this sport is considered illegal, it is still practiced by some people and generally involves using the feet, head, and fist to punch an opponent. They also use a dambe karfe (a fist punch) or a mazagi (a fist layer with protruding glasses) to pound their enemies. While it may seem like a dangerous game, some Hausa people enjoy this sport and will even pay to watch or participate in it.
6. The Pokot tribes of Kenya and Uganda – cattle rustle
The Pokot tribes of Kenya and Uganda are widely known for their perfect nomadic life. They will move from place to place in search of water and pasture for their livestock, and some will even move around for several days. This may seem quite normal to many people, but their habit of killing each other to steal livestock should be considered uncivilized. Contrary to what most people think, a Pokot will find this practice perfectly normal at all times, and would not hesitate to kill a person from another tribe once they noticed that the person had a large herd of cattle.
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