The sabiny / sebei tribe and their culture
The sabiny / sebei tribe and their culture
The sabiny/ sebei people are found at the beautiful slopes of mountain Elgon. They speak the Nilotic language called Kupsabiny of the Nandi cluster now known as the Kalenjin in Kenya. They can be traced in the towns of kapchorwa, Bukwa and Kween. The place has a beautiful view of the Sipi falls. They are known for their trademark female genital mutilation, they also circumcise the men.
ORIGIN
The Sabiny/ sebei people are believed to be part of the Klenjin group of Kenya. The Klenjin is a very big group that sits too on the slopes of mountain Elgon but on the Kenya side. The Sabiny/ sebei are also said to be found in Sudan though seem to be the minority among the rest. In Uganda, they are found in the districts of Bukwo, Kapchorwa and Kween. In Kenya there are the Book, Kony, Musoop, Soneck and Bongomek. Collectively they all inhabit the hills of mountain Elgon and have a collective name of “Saboats”.
HISTORY OF THE SABINYI PEOPLE
Lately, the sabinyi people are independent but are very closely interrelated tribes living north and north western parts of Mt.Elgon slopes. They are descendants of the three tribes and refer to themselves as Sebei. Originally the sebei was a confusion of the sapin. Sapin is a name of the tribes whereas others are the Mbai and Sor.
The Sabiny / sebei territory was shortened by the drawing of the Kenya and Uganda boarder. The sabiny moved and extended eastwards to the present-day Kenya to the Uasin Gishu Plateau. In language and their culture,they closely have an attachment to the people of the southern part of mountain Elgon. But the present-day politics has oppressed the close ties they had. They managed to iner marry and also because of their movements has made them identified in their territories. The political leaders formed the Sabot Union as a pressure group. The Union carried three sebei tribes in Uganda and their sister tribes in Kenya side of the boarder, they include the Bok,Bonom and Kony.
POLITICAL SET UP
The sabiny people were organized in clans, kin and Ag-set,each clan had a clan head. They believed in hierarchy.
Clan, kin and Age set
They had a formal structure of sebei society where they were organized in clan units, clan and lineage. The Kinship terminology and the shaping of social relationships based on brotherhood and marriage and the age set structure. The Sebei people had a prayer to the good and the evil;
OH, here Is a drink for all of us; even our grandfathers, even our fathers; all the old women and all the old men; even our uncles who have gone below. Drink ye! Watch over us that we may love, that the people should be in peace. Even the cows and goats should increase and have long life. You who are Evil, you drink and go away; do not return to this house. Away!
That song made them united and even believed in togetherness, they did not betray themselves because the song said it all.
Clan and Lineage
Each Sabinyi / sebei belonged to a clan which in their language was termed as “agret (arosyek). This was patrilineal, they were exogamous and named social entity.
Aret membership was the most important link in a man’s life, it was the first thing a person could know about a stranger. A man could not change a clan attachment except the when the clans split apart.
Clans had a strong spiritual hold onto their members and were even seen to having a genetic inheritance of traits. The sabinyi / sebei are also are said to have over two hundred clans yet many remain unknown. Each clan was composed of a descendant of the initial founder, and usually its name was formed by introducing of the syllabi “Kap” which meant descendants of, to the founder’s name. Though some have names derived from myths accounts or some habit attributed to the founder.
THE RITUAL TRANSFORMATION FROM CHILD TO ADULTHOOD
The sabiny carry out female genital mutilation and also practice circumcision for the boys, this was done after every even year. The practice was done in an annual general celebration that brought people together from each end of the clans, families and other towns. It reminded the sabiny of the “bat” culture that they thought was of benefit to them.
It is also believed that the initiation was amidst the guidance of their spirits. The women could be attacked by a spirit the night before the mutilation, this could leave them so confused in the morning only wanting to be mutilated.
They would take the women to the river site at 5 dawn for rituals. While there, they believed that something entered them that left their private parts frozen until the next day, no one could be stopped after visiting the river site.
On the night before mutilation, the elders could slaughter a cow, sing or you and dance. This was done at midnight.
A knife was used for the act with senior elders who were so trusted and yeast was also used to reduce it being slippery for the person going to cut the clitoris.
The girl too could lie down so that the people could see her naked, to also witness if she was a virgin. The sabinyi word to mean cutting is “chiwon”.
Boys were also witnessed during circumcision, if a boy cried out during the circumcision, he was taken to be a coward even after the circumcision. For when a girl cried during mutilation, the mother would stand by her with a mingling stick and was risked to being beaten.The father of the girl could stand beside her with a spear, when one alarmed during mutilation, he could kill her. T
Crying during mutilation could leave the family of the girl ashamed and embarrassed amidst the clan elders. Parents neglected their children when they alarmed in pain.
After mutilation, people danced and drunk leaving the victim till lying down in pain.
MARRIAGE
The sabinyi unlike most of the tribes in Uganda, mutilation of the girl and circumcision of the boy proved marriage to the parents.
The girls were married off early by their parents, they boy could bring wealth or bride price in exchange for the girl to be married to.
When the girl was not mutilated, dowry was not paid plus the girl was not allowed to even milk a cow. She couldn’t climb a maize granary or even collect cow dung. This brought shame to the girl’s side.
If the boy who got was not married, he was not seen as a man ready for responsibilities. Therefore, the elders did not respect the family he came from.
ECONOMY
The sabinyi are commonly subsistence farmers. They are also animal farmers. They grow millet, potatoes, simsim, beans, sunflower, cotton, coffee, wheat, tomatoes, cabbage, passion fruits and onions. They also domesticate livestock like the chicken, cows, goats and even sheep.
They are specialized in root crops because of the nature of their soil. It is always wet in the Sabiny regions. They also hunt for survival.
