Childhood to manhood

When they called my name for _tero_, my heart beat like a drum. I walked to the place of the cut as a boy, but I knew I had to come back as a man. The pain was sharp, but I did not cry. Elders were watching. _Chuny duto_ — courage — that is what they wanted to see. For weeks in the _mako_ hut, they taught me. How to speak with respect, how to build a home, how to protect my people, and how to fear God. No more childish games. On the day of _rito_, I came out in new clothes. The community ululated and danced. My uncle gave me a stool to sit on in council. That day I stopped being _odero_. I became _jaduong_. I graduated to manhood.