Gender Inversion in Nandi Ritual

An interpretation of the meaning of girls' initiation rituals in Nandi society is presented in which emphasis is laid upon the role of cheerseet "encouragement" and in which it is shown that the element of transvestism previously claimed to be present (Langley 1979) is in fact not present. In addition, it is argued that girls' initiation is one of the ways in which Nandi women have struggled to achieve gender equality with men. (Kenya, Nandi, ritual, girl's initiation, gender equality) Jane Tapsubei Creider received a traditional upbringing as a Nandi and is the author of two books dealing with the Nandi: Two Lives. My Spirit and I (London 1986), The Shrunken Dream (Toronto 1993); and two stories: The Woman in the Pit, The Elephant's Trunk (Toronto 1994). Together the Creiders have written A Grammar of Nandi (Hamburg 1989) and are currently working on a dictionary of the Nandi language.