Kumatie

• Informant Information: Current member of the class of 2018 at Dartmouth and an active member in his fraternity.
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: South Africa

• Collected information: Whenever there is a disagreement amongst brothers in the house, they settle it with a tradition known as Kumatie. It is a form of wrestling where the brothers partaking are stripped of their shirts, belts, and shoes, and must pin the other. The other noninvolved members of the house will stand on perimeter of carpet to cheer on the two members who are wrestling. They will often chant the phrase “Two men enter, one man leaves” before and during the match. Whoever pins the other brother wins the dispute.

• Social / Cultural Context
  • Performed on an as-needed basis and will only ever involve brothers of the one house; no outside fraternities can partake.

• Informant’s comments: It is a light-hearted form of dealing with disagreements, the two brothers wrestling are not taking the fight seriously, yet the tradition itself is highly regarded and respected within the house.
• Collector’s comments: none