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TYPES OF KITHITU
There are two ways in which Kamba people would seek justice using the kithitu.
Muma
A family member would use muma to curse someone who had stolen items such as money, clothes, or personal belongings. They often had an idea of who the person was, and after confronting them, they didn't take responsibility but denied it.
In this case, someone would take a cooking pot, put various seeds, lift it while cursing the person responsible that they may break that pot, and then knock the pot down.
pot breaking in kithitu uwe
Once the pot breaks into pieces and the seeds spill all over, it's a curse to that family. The kithitu of muma was common, and anyone could use it to seek justice.
Uwe
The second kithitu, uwe, was mysterious and dangerous and was able to kill people. Uwe was kept away from homes in the bushes, under big rocks, or in caves. It was an old age oath. Sometimes the kithitu could affect the person who administered it, so it was controlled. It could pose a severe danger to the family. It even killed the children. When people complained that someone had taken their property and couldn't get it back, and the council didn't trust them, they were asked to confess by swearing to kithitu. The oath was irreversible. If someone lied, the kithitu destroyed them instead of the suspect. The kithitu couldn't kill an honest person. Before striking the kithitu, the complainant asked the accused to return his property and gave them about 30 days. He took the oath if they failed to return it on time.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE KITHITU UWE
To strike the oath, one had to follow a particular process in a special place:
• Stripping naked and incising their private parts
• Extracting some blood
• Mixing it with herbs
• Smearing it on a hot knife
• Cast the oath
The kithitu spell could haunt the family members of the one who cast it if done wrongly. Therefore, Keenness was critical.
Herbs were cooked until they turned to charcoal in a unique pot. A particular stone was then used to grind the mixture. After that process, the person takes the pot, casting the spell. More herbs were added before it started functioning.
Afterwards, the oath taker dug a hole in the ground. It had to be done at a place with no vegetation, in the bushes away from home. The person then buried the pot and its contents in the hole and placed a stone on top. It signified the grave of the offender. From that moment, the offender's life was never the same again. Kithitu was in action.
CLEANSING AFTER ADMINISTERING THE OATH
When the consequences started showing, the victims had to find a solution. They sent elders to different seers to seek help. Later, all the elders then met to discuss their findings; and if there was a way to pay back or compensate the striker and get the family cleansed.
Sometimes, the people who took the oath never admitted to being responsible. They avoided being asked by the family to compensate for people who died due to striking kithitu if they were paid.
29 мар 2023
