Ndut initiation rite
[3][4] From the moment a Serer child is born, education plays a pivotal role throughout their life cycle.
[3] Serer girls receive their initiation through njam or ndom (the tattooing of the gums).
In a religious and hygienic point of view, an uncircumcised penis is deemed uncleanly and impure.
[3] The preparation for the Ndut takes several years, and involves the participation of the whole family and lineages (both maternal and paternal) as well as the community.
It is a long process where physical, psychological, spiritual and economic factors all come into play, in preparation for the child before the actual act of circumcision (for boys) or njam (for girls).
This public pronouncements is made in the form of a poem ("ciid" in Serer language[7]) or song.
This breast feeding act is symbolic of rebirth after death, and requires "the ingestion of lifegiving nourishment from the mother".
He is the eldest male in the community and must possess all the qualities of a good kumax, which include: generosity, supportive and patience.
It represents that the sanctuary the initiates have been living in for the past three months,[5] shut off from the outside world was only a dream, an artificial place that does not exist in real life.
[5] Upon arrival in this sacred place, the boys chant the names of the Pangool (singular: Fangol, Serer saints and ancestral spirits) : Reciting this verse acknowledges the ancestors who have long departed, and are called upon to come near and protect the children from any bad spirit or evil that may befall the ndut especially at night.
In classical ndut teachings, initiates get to learn about themselves, teamwork, how to be upstanding citizens, history of the Serer people, the supernatural world, Serer creation myth, the cosmos, mysteries of the universe and the formation of the stars[11] etc.
These exercise guide the children as to how to analysis each other's dreams as well as their own, and helps them develop their skills of clairvoyancy.
These young men are told not to engage in sexual activities with women until their operation has healed.
It is from these religious songs that the njuup tradition derives from (a conservative Serer music, and the progenitor of mbalax).
[12][13] After years of preparation, comes the actual act of circumcision for boys or njam for girls.
In these circumstances, the kumax or njamkat will ask the family to take the child and reassure him or her then bring them back later.
[3] In spite of these religious commandments, the Serer people being governed by the code of Jom, it was not uncommon for some Serer parents and family members to commit suicide because of what they viewed as humiliation or dishonour of the family name.
If the boy shows no sign of anxiety, he is encouraged to open the tissue covering the head of the penis.
It shows that the circumciser is well aware of the pain he is about to inflict, as he has undergone the operation himself and any mistake may result in death and tars his professional reputation forever.
After the foreskin has been removed, a special kind of powder is applied on the penis to avoid infection and help in the healing process.
[3] In pre-colonial times, the boys would perform a dance in front of the Serer kings and the rest of the royal family who would in turn give them presents for their courage (see Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof).
