The festival of the people of Sukur Kingdom, located in the Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, is an initiation for male children into adulthood.
The initiation which takes place every August on the top of the hill of Sukur to prepare them for adulthood, so every child becomes eligible once he approaches adulthood.
According to the people, the initiation meant a lot to them because being an adult promotes their status in the community. They can relate with elders and be invited for community meetings and most importantly be allowed to marry, build a house and own property.
Initiation rituals
Preparations for the celebration start a month to the date of the initiation. A participating family will then invite friends and relatives and also notify the young initiate that he will be initiated in a month’s time.
The family would also prepare a special meal for the initiate during the period. The meal is basically chicken, but in the absence of chicken, the family can make beef or goat meat. But traditionally, it is supposed to be chicken. The initiate will be placed on chicken and other traditional soups throughout the month before the D-day.
The meal is to make the initiate strong throughout the period. The chief will also have a meeting with his council of chiefs and agree on a date for the festival.
The parents of the initiate would sew beautiful attire for the initiate and members of the family before the day.
Any man initiating his first male child will wear a red cap and visit the king’s palace to pay homage to show that he is initiating his first male child. The attire is worn with beads on that day.
The chief, his council of chiefs and other stakeholders have separate duties to perform during the festival. There are some shrines within the palace where some rituals are performed before the initiates arrive. There is also a special mountain in Sukur. The Dalatu; titleholders in charge of the mountain, will prepare it before the actual date.
There is also Rwadem; a virgin girl from the family of every initiate. They are responsible for preparing all the meals that the initiate will eat through the period of the initiation.
There is also an errand boy who is the initiate’s younger brother. The boy is called Myadegu. He will be the one to run errands for the initiate. There is also the Mubwata, who serves as the mentor of the initiate. It’s usually an elder from the initiate’s family who will advise and guide the initiate. Everybody is involved in the initiation.
Some of the titleholders like the Dalatu, will perform some rituals at the initiation ground on the day of initiation. Also, all the initiates parents will dance at the Hidi’s palace and the Hidi will also dance and address the gathering before they leave for their various destinations.’’
The ceremony often lasted one week and was believed to be ancient and its rites devoid of any diabolical rituals.
Two weeks before the initiation rites start, the initiates will rub their bodies with red ochre and mahogany oil which give them enough protection from cold and rain. They wander through communities and markets in peers. This gives a signal to the neighbouring communities that Sukur people will initiate their children.
The week-long initiation starts in the early hours with merriments. The initiates will gather in the initiation room to be counselled and blessed by the Hidi for the success of the event before proceeding to the initiation ground.
At the initiation ground (Dlyang Mbadlavai), Dalatu seats the initiates on the rock associated with their respective clans and talks to them. Thereafter, Mbezfwai, one of the titleholders leads the initiates with a bullhorn in his hand to the mountain.
The initiates will stay for some hours at the mountain before descending to the community for celebration. In the afternoon, mothers and grandmothers of the initiates will dance to the Hidi’s Patla (palace). The mothers of initiates will shave their heads with dots pattern and wear headbands and blue mini skits. They also wear necklaces and brass bracelets and hold long sickles.
Grandmothers of initiates wear headbands of green vines with a string of snail shells, bottle caps across their shoulders and stick stalks of guinea corn.
Also relatives and friends of the participating families will visit their homes to present gifts to the parents amid eating, drinking and merry-making.
At the grand finale, the initiates descend from the mountain, surge through the crowd on their way to Buk and back through Patla. They honour their parents with greetings as celebration continues.
