A departure from this rule of celibacy by anyone present will entirely spoil the efficacy of the sacrifice, and, if an offender is discovered, he will have to pay a fine of two goats, and the elders will spit on him ceremonially and sacrifice afresh on the following day.
Arms must not be taken to the sacred tree. The elders wear their usual garments.
The following things are collected on the day before the sacrifice at the village of the elder who provides the sacrificial ram, and that night they stay at his village:
- 2 gourds of honey beer.
- 2 gourds of sugar cane beer.
- 1 cooking pot.
- 1 half gourd.
- 1 small knife for skinning the sacrifice and making the incision to bleed it.
The sacrifice is always a ram, and it is called ngorima. One year it will be black, but if that particular year the seasons are not propitious they consider that the deity is displeased and therefore change the colour, choosing either a red or a white one.
In former times a he-goat was said to be sacrificed before going to war. The ram must have the clan mark on its ears, and must also have had its tail cut. [[43]]
The provision of the sacrificial animals is settled by the elders, who pick the donors by rotation. At a specially important sacrificial ceremony, however, an important medicine man is called in and decides who shall provide the ram.
The proper time for a communal sacrifice is about two p.m., but private sacrifices take place at nine a.m.
It is said that the later time is usual for a communal sacrifice because it takes some time for elders who live far away to reach the place.
When the assembly arrives at the tree, one of the elders lifts up the ram into a standing position on its hind legs, facing the tree. This is called Kurugamia ngorima mugumuini—“To stand the ram before the tree.” The idea is probably to show the sacrificial animal ceremonially to the deity.