mingi

Mingi is a term used in East African ethnography to describe a belief in which certain infants or young children are considered impure, cursed, or dangerous to the community. The exact practices associated with mingi vary across cultures and historical periods. In some variants, a child deemed mingi was at risk of being killed, abandoned, or ritualistically separated from the community; in others, the child might be hidden or entrusted to specialists for containment. The concept has appeared in accounts of pastoralist groups in the region, including Maasai, Samburu, and Turkana, among others, though local terminology, criteria, and procedures differed.

Historical and contemporary context can be complex. During the colonial era and into the 20th century, observers reported cases of mingi and called for intervention; in many modern countries, child-protection laws and human-rights norms have condemned such practices and restricted or ended them. Contemporary scholarship often describes mingi as a culturally specific belief rather than a universal practice, and emphasizes variation and lack of uniformity across groups.

Scholarly perspectives stress caution in interpretation to avoid essentializing cultures. Some researchers explore social mechanisms that may give rise to such beliefs, including lineage politics, perceptions of purity, and the symbolic meanings attached to illness, misfortune, or social disruption.

Other uses: Outside the anthropological context, mingi also appears as a personal name or place name in parts of East Africa, though these uses are distinct from the ritual concept.