24-year-old business management student Martha "Pushu" Mate has to heal people with no clothes on.
"It is not easy to be without clothes in front of strangers," says Martha who will take over the traditional healing practice of her grandmother, Mirriam Mate (64), better known as Malepona.
Malepona performed her duties for almost 40 years.
She was buried two weeks ago on Friday at midnight, according to the dictates of her practice.
Pushu, speaking to Daily Sun with a number of grey snakes crawling over her, said her grandmother taught her everything she knew. Martha will start on Saturday to take over her granny's job.
"I didn't know I was the chosen one to continue the job but as I worked with her I saw visions and dreamt of things I didn't know," said Pushu.
"When my grandmother fell ill I did the work. She only came to offer guidance but since 2010 I have been doing the work."
Pushu said they weren't without clothes all the time.
"There are rituals dictated by ancestors during a specific illness and it is then we undress because that is how we are guided to help the patient.
"It's obvious that it is not easy for anybody to be [without clothes] in front of strangers," she said.
She said it was difficult at first but now it has become a task that has to be performed because it is part of the healing process.
"We also use snakes and bees as we follow the instructions of the ancestors."
"I do this thing knowing my grandmother is watching over me. My gogo taught me well."
Pushu said a big tree had fallen but it has watered the small one.
"The work to help people continues," she said. Pushu is married with has no children.
Source - Dailysun
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