KUTOA MTOTO NJE – VYALUSA.

The term “kutoa mtoto nje” loosely translated from Swahili language is taking a new born baby out of the house for the first time. Among the Mijikenda community, it means introducing a new born child to the world or to the rest of the community. In the Mijikenda community, “kutoa mtoto nje” is called ‘vyalusa’. This is a ritual that is usually performed days after birth.

Traditionally when a child was born, it was important that both mother and child received utmost care. During this time, the grandmother (mother to the mother) and the midwife were the key people who were present with the mother inside the house since most births were done at home. The rest of the women like aunties were around the home to help out with different chores.

In the Rabai community, one of the 9 sub-clans of the Mijikenda, when a child is born and it is a boy, he is taken out of the house by his grandmother to be introduced to the rest of the community after five days. On the fifth day, the mother walks out of the house and is made to sit outside while the grandmother comes out of the house carrying the child. Water is poured on the roof and the grandmother enters and exits the house five times. The water dripping is a sign of plenty of rain which symbolizes blessings.

Once it is done, the child is handed back to the mother and her front hair is cut by a razor (kubatwa) so that the rest of the villagers know that she is a new mother. The hair is carefully disposed so that no evil eye is cast upon mother and child. Afterwards, the villagers are welcome to present their gifts to mother and child as they sing songs. The presents mostly consist of foodstuffs which are to help the mother regain her strength after giving birth. The presents are put in a small basket called chikahana.The same process applies if the child is a girl only that she is introduced to the rest of the community after four days.

In the picture is a grandmother getting ready to walk out of the house after water has been poured on the roof. This was during a co-creation performance at Mwamruu Bomu in Rabai, Kilifi county, Kenya where we were being taken through the Vyalusa process in the Rabai community. The same process applies if the child is a girl only that she is introduced to the rest of the community after four days.Women singing songs as they surround the mother. These songs sometimes comprised of Sengenya and Chechemeko songs.

A new mother getting her front hair shaved to symbolize that she has just given birth. (Kubatwa)

In the Rabai community, inside the house, a bow and an arrow are tied by the grandmother at the top where the child can reach and untie when they are slightly older. The bow and arrow symbolize security, that is, the boy will take care of his family when he is older. If the child born is a girl, a small bunch of firewood and a basket are tied by the grandmother until she is older to bring them down. The firewood and basket are to symbolize that she will take care of the family when she is older.

Vyalusa is practiced by all nine sub-tribes of the Mijikenda, only that some processes slightly differ among the nine sub-tribes. A good example is the Duruma community, who on the day of the vyalusa, the grandmother wakes up early in the morning, heads to the shamba/farm while carrying the child on the side. If it is a girl, she will have a basket and a jembe to symbolize she will farm and if it is a boy, she will have a bow, arrow and panga to symbolize security and hard work.

This ritual most often leads to the naming of the child. In the Chonyi community a baby boy is named by the father and is made to lie down on the floor at the entrance of the house with his head facing East and the feet facing West as words of blessings are also spoken to him by his father. If it’s a girl, her head will be made to face the West while her feet face the East as words of blessings are spoken to her by her father.

In today’s world, vyalusa is still practiced by some people although religion and modernization have infiltrated this cultural practice with people borrowing from both traditional cultures and religious practices.

This information was gathered through focused group discussions and visits to the Mijikenda communities. Special thanks to:

  • The women from Mwamruu Bomu, Rabai
  • The women from Mwanzo Mpya Dance Group, Mariakani
  • Chonyi Community