OLUFUKO
editOlufuko is an Oshiwambo traditional practice that turns girls and young women into brides without men. It means wedding in Oshiwambo. It is the process where the girls as young as they are 14 years commissioned as bride after olufuko the likely brides no matter what age she is free to get a guy and also to be married any time. It has been long now when the Outapi people initiate it and the event was officially opened by the festival’s patron, former President Sam Nujoma.
According to Oshiwambo traditional a girl can get pregnant before married since she was in olufuko. Girls at 16 years old are considered as minors under the constitution of Namibia. The rejection of entering the olufuko by Vambo girls will cause their families to be curse. Olufuko last for six to seven days. Onamunganga is the person that carrying out the Olufuko.Olufuko starts with "ekoho" when the bride’s mother has to prepare the fire to cook food for them. The interesting part and parcel of Olufuko is pregnancy testing. Making sure a bride is not pregnant while going through the process is vital and it’s done when a bride is asked to physically work in order to prove that she is not pregnant. Which includes pounding grain such as mahangu and sorghum during the day? According to the beliefs, if she vomits, then she is pregnant. She is disqualified from the rituals if she found to be pregnant.
The next step is called Omakunde or okambadjona this is when the bride's parents have to slaughter cattle for their daughters. On the fourth day is efundula (wedding day )girls are officially called brides where a men can come and place the bracelet on wrists of brides there are interested in. The brides dressed in attractive hand-made traditional jeweleries and animal hides and dresses like Odelelela, more than ten young girls aged between 16 and 19 years are taking part in the Olufuko ceremony where they have to dance ndilimani.
The fifth day is called epitoletanda
editOn this day the brides walks around the homestead at the night when people in the village are sleeping and go back to their house through a special entrance, that night the brides sleep in the special hut called ondjuwo. after rituals girls are than called bride and referred until get a man or pregnant. On the last day, girls cleansed by rubbing their bodies with butter (omagadhi geengombe) mixed with red dyes (olukura)or oshifima. Okandjibululwena when mothers and their daughter leave the olufuko to their house.
References
edithttp://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2012/august/article/olufuko-initiation-starts/ http://www.namibiansun.com/content/national-news/government-endorses-olufuko