Xhosa Heritage - Culture

Initiation (Ulwaluko)

When a child reaches puberty, an initiation ritual is performed to mark the passage inot adulthood. This applies to both boys (ulwaluko) and girls (intonjane). Initiation is also a deeply religious practice where a sacrificial animal is killed whose blood binds the initiand to the departed of the clan. The forms of initiation may differ according to ethnic groups, but what is common to the practitioners is that the elderly ceremoniously welcome the young adolescents to their status by performing a communal ritual. During initiation the initiand is secluded, receives instruction on the sacred wisdom of the myths, rituals, doctrines and ethical norms including respect, dignity and sex education from the rightful and accepted people who have already passed the stage. There is a special time for admonitions of the initiand on the day he/she passes out from seclusion. This process is followed by a ceremonial coming out and a celebration.