Something of Value1957

Crown Consul:
Swear him in.

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
Which god, please?

Crown Consul:
The Christian God.

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
I worship Ngai, the god who lives on Mount Kenya. I will swear by our sacred Githathi stone.

Crown Consul:
Your word will suffice.

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
Oh, no, no. If I lie before this symbol of God... my children and their children and my home and my land will turn to dust. And when I die... I will have no life hereafter except to live forever in eternity... by the cursed hyena, cowardly eater of the dead. i speak the truth.

Crown Consul:
You're the father of the dead baby in question?

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
Yes.

Crown Consul:
Did you tell the midwife to kill the baby?

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
Yes. It was born feet first, it was cursed.

Crown Consul:
Then what was done?

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
What is always done according to custom.

Crown Consul:
Tell His Honor what that is.

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
We smothered the child and buried it under a pot.

Crown Consul:
You know that killing is against the law?

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
God says to murder is wrong.

Crown Consul:
And when you had that newborn baby smothered, was that not murder?

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
No. A child cannot join the tribe until he is 1 year old. Therefore, he's not really born until his second year. What was killed was a demon, not a child.

Crown Consul:
And then what did you do?

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
We sacrificed a young ram.

Crown Consul:
Mm. And that , I suppose, got rid of the curse.

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
No, no sir. Not yet. I am still here, therefore the curse is still at work.

Crown Consul:
Would you do the same thing if another child were born to you feet first?

Karanja - Father of Kimani:
[very slowly looks around at everyone] Yes... yes... It would be my duty.