Xhosa Initiates
Eastern Cape, South Africa
Young men of the Xhosa tribe are segregated and mentored by elder males, at the end of the ritual, they are circumcised.
Published by Ulla Kelly
I'm a South African queer woman with empty pockets, living by the sea. I'm here hoping that something will make cents. View profile
8 Comments
Post a Commenti'm A former initiate myself n i could tell u guys everything u needed 2 know, but if i did that then it would'nt be a secret anymore, held sacred by those brave enough to sacrifice a piece of their flesh and experience excruciating pain in a process meant to test your willpower n ability 2 survive in a situation which was designed to be almost impossible bear all so u can prove to other folk that you r strong enough and brave enough to tackle life's hassle's and come out on top, then and only then do you gain true respect in our culture and hence u r a man cheers!
Cool Pictures!
I would need a helluva lot of mentoring before I had the skin on my willy lopped :-) Excellent photos Ulla.
ouch.
Wow! Nice pictures of the Xhosa Initiates. Great job!
Oh, modern "dudes"....LOL!! I was wondering why they would be circumcised! I didn't really think that would be a normal thing in a tribe, but what do I know? Great pics, nonetheless! And looks fantastic!
ulla :)
yes i did - they had a hut in the same place last yr and i wasn't sure it was respectful to photograph them till they came out grinning and waving this time ... it's not amazement lol ... these are modern dudes who prob own cellphones. the mentoring? you can google 'xhosa initiation' for more info ...
Uma~you took these amazing pictures? WOW! You say they are mentored before their circumcision, do you know what type of mentoring they receive? How did you get these pictures? They look at you in amazement! Incredible pictures! Wish I were there!