Analysis of narrative elements in the Bukusu initiation ritual (Sikhebo)

Abstract

Rituals mark rites of passages from one point to the next and involve performances worldwide. In Africa, rituals are performed during birth, initiation, marriage and death ceremonies. The Bukusu community practices rituals and one of them is sikhebo where boys are initiated after every two years. Consequently, researches that have been conducted on sikhebo ritual deal with it as drama, as acculturation and its educative values. It was therefore, necessary to examine sikhebo ritual in order to unveil the narrative elements therein because the nature of the ritual as drama; acculturation and education are first and foremost narratives. The specific objectives were to: analyze plot in sikhebo ritual as a narrative element; to assess actual characterization and role of various characters in the narrative; and to study themes and meaning in the narrative. The study adopted the theory of narratology that was propounded by Todorov (1969) and transformed by Groden, Kreiswirth and Sweman (2012) to deal with text and form in narratives. The study used three tenets of the narratology theory, firstly, the tenet which states that a narrative is composed of unique sequence of events met the first study objective that investigated plot in sikhebo ritual as a narrative element; secondly the tenet which states that events in a narrative include characters met the second objective that assessed the actual characterization and role of various characters in the narrative and lastly the tenet which states that themes are evident in narrative met the third objective that studied themes and meaning in the narrative. The study adopted the ethnographic research design that assisted to formulate the research questions on sikhebo ritual. The study area was Bungoma North Sub-County. The suitability of the area is that it is inhabited by the Bukusu who practice sikhebo ritual. The study was restricted to one live performance of sikhebo ritual comprising one male initiate who defined the scope of this undertaking. Purposive sampling was used to get one initiate, his parents and other people who made up sikhebo ritual narrative. Primary data was got using non-participant observation, videotaping the entire sikhebo ritual with the assistance of two research assistants and interview whereby two key informants shed light on observation check-list. Secondary data was assembled by extraction from selected commentary and documenting the required information. Data collected was analyzed using textual analysis, codified based on the study objectives and presented in continuous prose. The study found out that sikhebo ritual is replete with plot as narrative element, characterization and role of various characters in the narrative and themes and meaning in narrative. The study concluded that sikhebo ritual takes a narrative structure governed by Freytag’s dramatic model in MacEwan that include exposition, the inciting incident, the rising action, climax, falling action and denouement; actual characterization and characters roles in the narrative, themes and meaning in narrative. The findings on an analysis of narrative elements in the Bukusu initiation ritual sikhebo is useful in expanding existing knowledge in literary and orature studies as well as teaching performance stylistic devices in literature and performing arts. The study suggests a similar study to be carried out to deal with the initiate who fears the knife. Secondly, a study should be done to assess characterization and role of the girl child in sikhebo ritual as narrative. Lastly, further studies should be conducted to study masculinity as a theme in sikhebo ritual and its meaning as narrative.