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Article published In:
Creativity in Language
Edited by Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, Andrea Hollington, Nico Nassenstein and Anne Storch
[International Journal of Language and Culture 6:1] 2019
► pp. 63–82

Secrecy, sacredness and unveiling of the Kalenjin cultural initiation rites

| University of Cologne

Secret rituals and a secret language are the core aspect of the seclusion and circumcision, which used to be an important part of the lives of men and women alike. They are meant to be secret, although descriptions of rituals can be found in academic texts as well as in the internet. This article aims at shedding light on the complexity of secrecy and the unveiling of secrets in the Kalenjin society of Kenya and explains the procedure of the unveiling and the various reactions of members of the society.

Keywords: Secrecy, Kalenjin, Kenya, unveiling, secret language, circumcision
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The Kalenjin secrets
    • 2.1The secret
    • 2.2The loss of the secret
  • 3.Unveiling
    • 3.1Kalenjin secrets revealed in Western academic writing
    • 3.2Kalenjin secrets revealed in Kenyan academic writing
    • 3.3Kalenjin secrets revealed in the internet
      • Cursing the traitor
      • Warning the traitor
      • Plea for respecting and preserving tradition
      • Supporting the unveiling
  • 4.The secret behind the secret
  • 5.The secret language
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 1 February 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00016.mie
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