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The ''Sso'' was an initiation rite practiced by the Beti of Cameroon in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The participants were young men between 15 and 25 years of age who, by completing the rite, became adults and enjoyed added privileges, such as passage into the land of the ancestors at death. Each boy was sponsored by an ''esia Sso'' (''Sso'' father). The sponsor of the rite was a village headman; he was expected to provide food and lodging for guests and to pay for several large feasts during the rite's six-month duration. Other important figures were the ''zum loa'', who revealed past sins that the sponsor had committed and which would be expiated by the rite's completion, and the ''mfek Sso'', who organised and administered the rite. The ''Sso'' candidates lived away from the sponsor's compound in a barracks called the ''esam Sso''. The rite consisted of numerous feasts for the sponsors and elders and harrowing trials for the candidates. The boys had no instruction or supervision and relied on hunting and stealing to survive. After five months, the ''mfek Sso'' gathered the candidates around the ritual ''Sso'' tree and signalled the rite's last stages. In the final ordeal, the boys danced around their compound, were sprayed with ants or itching powder, and crawled through a tunnel from the ''esam Sso'' to the sponsor's compound. After one final hunt, the rite was completed and the boys obtained adult status. The ''Sso'' was important because it provided a means by which unrelated Beti lineages could form bonds, and, unlike with marriage, more than two lineages could participate. ''Sso'' candidates bonded with one another, and the ''Sso'' sponsor bonded with the boys' fathers and sponsors. The rite held an important place in Beti religion, as it was seen as a means by which a man could gain entry into the land of the ancestors after death. For the other villagers, the ''Sso'' was a source of entertainment and an excuse to socialise in large groups. During Cameroon's colonial period, colonial authorities opposed the rite. == Organisation and significance == The ''Sso'' was named for an antelope hunted by the Beti, which, according to their folklore, was extremely fast and had no need of sleep.〔Quinn, "Beti Society", 300.〕 Several headmen usually sponsored a single ''Sso'' rite, and the events occurred at their compounds. Sponsorship was expensive; it entailed providing numerous feasts, housing out-of-town guests, entertaining large groups, and recruiting certain individuals who travelled from lineage to lineage to conduct the rituals involved.〔Quinn, "Beti Society", 301.〕 Sponsorship brought great prestige for the individual and his ''mvog'' (lineage).〔 Sponsors could generally count on the help of their kin, as they would gain some residual status just for helping.〔 If the ''Sso'' finished successfully, the sponsor was supposed to have atoned for some past misdeed, often incest or revealing ''Sso'' secrets, that had been plaguing him and his lineage.〔Quinn, "Beti Society", 301–2.〕 The young men who participated in the ''Sso'', known as ''mvon'', were between 15 and 25 years old.〔Quinn, "Beti Society", 300–1.〕 They came from miles away to participate,〔 because by completing the rite, they would go from ''ebin'' (''uninitiated'') to ''mpangos'' (''warrior''). This granted the privileges of adult status: participation in tribal councils, the ability to eat a wider variety of meats, and perhaps most importantly, entry to the land of the ancestors after death.〔 Three ''mvon'' had special duties. The ''asu zoa'' (elephant) was selected by the sponsor to lead the rest of the candidates. He was usually a member of the sponsor's family. A Beti proverb states, "Where the elephant has gone, there is a path for others." The ''dib koa'' (line closer) was tasked with bringing up the rear of ''mvon'' hunting parties. The ''asu zoa'' and ''dib koa'' were both expected to keep order among the candidates. The ''zogo'' (weakling) served as the ritual target of the others' jokes. The ''mvon'' were divided into several non-competing groups of as many as 60 individuals.〔 Each candidate had a personal ''esia Sso'' (''Sso'' father), a man who had himself completed the rite. The ''esia Sso'' participated in all ''Sso''-related feasts and events and helped to organise the tasks and trials the candidates would face. Participants and ''Sso'' fathers could grow very close; some ''esia Sso'' helped their ''mvon'' arrange bride prices for later marriage, and a ''mvon'' was forbidden to marry the daughter of his ''esia Sso'', even if the two individuals were from different lineages.〔 Two other individuals performed important tasks. The ''zum loa'' was an orator who gave a speech at the end of the rite detailing the sponsor's sins that had required the rite to the held. His regalia included an antelope skin, iron bracelets, a red hat, and a long spear.〔 The ''zum loa'' was renowned for his abilities as a public speaker. His prestige was such that others bowed to him, a courtesy not afforded to even village headmen.〔Quinn, "Beti Society", 302.〕 The ''mfek Sso'' (holder of the ''Sso'' sack) was responsible for the actual running of the ''Sso'' rite. His name made reference to his sack of traditional medicines that would later be eaten or drunk during the rite.〔 The ''Sso'' rite had great significance to Beti society. It was a sort of "school for warriors", and by completing it, a young man attained adult status.〔Quinn, "Beti Society", 300, 303.〕 Because groups of ''Sso'' brothers came from several lineages, the participants established ties with individuals with whom they would otherwise have little interaction. In fact, marriage was the only other means of binding Beti ''mvog'' together, and it only affected two lineages. Such bonds also formed between the ''mvon'' and their ''Sso'' fathers, between the ''mvon'' and the rite's sponsor, and between the sponsor and the boys' fathers.〔 For the villagers, the ''Sso'' was a source of amusement and an excuse to gather in large numbers and catch up with old friends.〔Quinn, "Beti Society", 303.〕 The ''Sso'' had importance to Beti religion. It was thought that only men who had completed the ritual would be allowed into the land of the ancestors.〔 The Beti even reckoned time in reference to the duration between ''Sso'' rites.〔 Nevertheless, Karl Atangana, the Christian paramount chief of the Ewondo and Beti during the German colonial period, spoke out against the ''Sso'' as a pagan rite.〔Quinn, "Atangana", 487.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sso (rite)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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