what I see
I see a young girl sitting, with her face painted in one side of her face, and wearing traditional attires. And also looking indifferent to what she is looking at.
what I feel about the prompt picture
I feel the young girl sitting with a traditional painting in her face, is of a marriageable age, and she is about to perform the ritual to be fully inducted into womanhood.
The story behind the picture
The people of elegba have this cultural practice that is perform to every young girl that is clocking 18 years of age. The practice is believe to help them learn all that is needed, when they are in their husbands houses, and also boost their fertility. The elderly women are responsible in guiding the young ladies to performing of the rituals. Oloron the head of the female cult help them wade off bad luck and evil spirit that causes infertility, before inducting them fully into womanhood.
Pelumi the second daughter of kunle, had heard a lot about the ritual from her elder sister Tope. And seem to know everything that will be happening. The ritual is be perform for a month at the oloron shrine. Most girls are happy to join the cult. But Pelumi is disgusted with the concussion that is given to them. She always spit out all the concussion that is given her when no one was looking. The prompt picture was capture when she was watching how one of the girls is been bath with the concussion. " This concussion taste like the pee of oloron " she said to one of the girls. " have you been drinking oloron's pee, that you know how it taste?" the other girl asked. " I just don't like the taste" she said.
She managed to stay the one month performing the rituals, skipping some of the rituals, and not drinking some of the concussion. Until she was inducted into the cult as a full woman.
It was not long as she came back, that they married her off to her bethroyed, Tayo. The unusual was happening in Tayo's house. Three years of marriage but no child. "What is happening?" the parents of Tayo asked. " did she undergo the Bukun initiation?" "yes, she did" Tayo replied. " so what is happening?" was the question in everyone lips.
Pelumi was already feeling guilty, " maybe those concussion I spit out, are the cause of this?" she thought. But was scared to mention it to anyone. Oloron was summon to enquire of the gods, the problem of Pelumi's barrenness.
"She did not perform the Bukun, that's the cause of her predicament " the oloron said. " she did" Tayo her husband said. "She spit out most of the concussion that was meant for her to take and skip some ritual, which is equivalent to not doing it at all" oloron explained. "What is the remedy now?" "she Will redo it again, but this time around, every of her meal will be mixed with my urine while doing her Bukun again in my shrine" oloron narrate the only remedy available.
Pelumi had no choice but agreed to perform it again. And she did. But this time, followed the whole instructions. And she became pregnant a month after she returned home.