In the Maasai Community - circumcision is one of the most important ceremonies that Men and Women must go through. Today this ceremony is considered more important for Boys than girls. A majority of the Maasai no longer circumcise their girls but keep the practice for Boys.
The Circumcision ceremony for Boys takes place mostly between the age of 16 or 17 years old. Twenty years ago, Boys were not circumcised until they were considered mature. A Maasai elder once told us that, until the a boy is old enough to carry a newborn calf home on his shoulders, he cannot be circumcised. The elders wait until there are enough of them to be regarded as efficient, sufficient and capable men to guard the community. At times boys have to wait until they are in their mid 20's while their younger brothers catch up with them in the same age-group. It is at this stage that the decision is taken to circumcise the boys, and the latter are given permission to establish camps of their own and also to perform certain traditional rituals. Certain boys whose cases are regarded as being special may be circumcised before this stage is reached. The reasons for this are usually domestic in nature. A boy, for instance, might be circumcised in order to take charge of his dead father's property. A boy might also be circumcised because his younger sisters have grown old enough for marriage and cannot be circumcised before him. Boys in this category are known as Ilng'eeliani, and it is usually said that they herald a new age-group.
Maasai elders meet and decide that their boys are ready to be circumcised. A home is constructed in which the boys are going to dance and perform certain rituals. They dance for four days, two of the days being known as "white" days and the other two as "red" days. After this a bullock is slaughtered. While this dancing is going on, the Chief Councillor, known as Olaiguenani, is selected from among the boys. He is given the club, Orikna, which has been blackened in mud, as a staff of office. He is blessed with certain words and given the leadership of the age-group. He it is who first drinks the warm blood of the bullock that is slaughtered. He is supposed to be mentally more mature than the others, is widely respected and his council is taken seriously by all. The group disperses and waits another year or two, and after this the elders meet again to decide on the date on which the next big ritual is to take place. This is the ritual during which the boys arrest, detain and knock down a strong bullock by its horns, using nothing more than their bare hands. It is also at this ceremony that a boy whose bullock is going to be slaughtered on behalf of the age-group is selected, and he is known as Olopolosi-Olkiteng. He becomes the ceremonial leader for this particular ritual.
After this ceremony is over the boys are circumcised in their individual homes, and they remain initiates for a period of time until they are ready to start their training as warriors . When they have been cured and are well fed, they construct a home known as Enkangoo Ntaritik—The home of birds and it is here that they are shaved for the first time since initiation.
In recent years these homes are not constucted, most boys are shaved in thieir own homes. At this stage these young warriors —Jlmurran-—are known as Ilkiliyani.
