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Issue 23
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The Krobo of eastern Ghana mark the passage of girls into womanhood by performing a series of rituals known as Dipo. At the beginning of the Dipo ceremony, each initiate enters a ritual house, sheds her clothing (symbolic of childhood) and is dressed anew by her ritual mother. Tied around her waist is a single strand of carnelian beads, over which is draped a long red cloth that marks the attainment of maturity. Her head is shaved, except for a small tuft at the crown which will be removed when the initiation process is complete. Her head is then smeared with shea butter and charcoal, and a cord of palm fibre is tied around her neck to indicate that she has passed into the first ritual stage known as Dipo-yo.
[IMAGE1] The next morning the initiates, followed by their ritual mothers, make their way in a long procession to the river to bathe, a purification rite. Cleansed in body and spirit, they are blessed by the village shrine priest. They are then fed a special meal of water-yam porridge accompanied by a sauce of palm oil prepared by their mothers. During their three-week seclusion, the initiates will learn the finer points of personal grooming, female conduct, domesticity, food preparation and the arts of dance and seduction. They undergo inner and outer transformations with the help of specially appointed Dipo guardians. When their tutoring is over, the initiates pass a final test in a ritual encounter with Tekpete, the sacred stone. In celebration of the completion of Dipo training, the graduates adorn themselves for the Outdooring ceremony. Here they publicly demonstrate their dancing skills for the chief, relatives and, most importantly, prospective suitors who gather to admire the display of feminine grace and beauty.
Adapted from African Ceremonies by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher. Harry N Abrams Inc. NY. 1999 |
