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A history of the circumcision shelter Kondi Pegue: The Guindo and circumcision Circumcision at Songo is the responsibility of the Guindo family. The Guindo say that circumcision in Songo commenced with the introduction of Islam. They claim to have been entrusted with the operation and the supervision of the boys during the recovery period, since they had already gained experience in circumcision during their stay in Mandé. It is said that, when the Guindo offered to take on the responsibility of circumcising at Songo and produced as a proof an old circumcision knife brought from Mandé, the Yanogué and the Karembé were still sceptical of their abilities. Only after the Guindo had circumcised their own children and after these had made good recovery, the Guindo were given the authorisation to circumcise all other male children. It is said that the order of circumcision today mirrors this initial event, with a Guindo boy always being the first to be circumcised. At the time of the first circumcision ritual, said to have been held in a low shelter at Songo Kolo, the old village of Songo, the Guindo claim to have made the polychrome paintings on the ceiling of this shelter. They also claim that the use of three colours in rock painting (red, white, and black), in contrast to the generally monochrome paintings in the area, was introduced by their family. The Guindo family history also stresses the Guindo role in circumcision beyond the village of Songo. Accordingly, they were responsible for circumcision in a region stretching to Mopti and beyond. The circumcision rituals at the villages of Tugumbé and Kori Kori are claimed to have derived from Songo, with permission to hold the ceremonies still residing with the Guindo of Songo. While the Guindo story explains the introduction of circumcision and the role of the Guindo in the ritual, it conflicts with reports by the other families of Songo. The Yanogué claim to have circumcised their children at a site at Tilé before moving to Songo (before conversion to Islam) and to have undertaken circumcision at Songo Kolo before the arrival of the Guindo. The Karembé also report that circumcision was already practised before the arrival of Islam. Regardless of when the people of Songo commenced circumcising their boys, Kondi Pegue seems to have been an important and widely-known circumcision site when the first western visitors arrived in the region at the beginning of the 20th century. | |
