Publications

Publication details [#66608]

Mietzner, Angelika. 2019. Secrecy, sacredness and unveiling of the Kalenjin cultural initiation rites. International Journal of Language and Culture 6 (1) : 63–82.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
John Benjamins
Journal DOI
10.1075/ijolc

Annotation

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.