The Tachoni mark generations by circumcision cycle, held in August of every even year. It is the oldest census this community has ever kept.

How the cycle works

Sets rotate through a fixed sequence of names — Vakolongolo, Vakikwameti, Vakananachi and the others. A man’s set places him in time without any need for a written date: name the set and you have named the years.

The sequence repeats, so a set name returns roughly every few decades. Elders can place a man to within a couple of years from his set alone, and can tell you who was initiated alongside him.

The season

Initiation falls in August of even-numbered years. The season carries the bird hunt, the feeding of the candidates, the instruction given by the elders, and the naming of the new set. Much of what is taught is not for publication, and the archive respects that: the Trust records what the families and presiding elders agree may be recorded, and nothing else.

2026, and what comes next

The Trust recorded the August 2026 season in full, with consent. It is the first time the cycle has been documented as a whole rather than in fragments. The next season falls in August 2028.

If your family has photographs, recordings or written notes from earlier seasons, the archive would like to hold copies. Nothing is published without the family’s agreement.

Why this matters to the register

The age-set system did exactly what the register on this site is doing: it recorded every person, in order, so the community knew its own size and shape. The register is not a new idea imported from outside. It is the same idea, written down, and open to women and men alike.

Set names and sequence are in draft, awaiting elder review.