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 Currently
the sacred crocodile pool has around 80 crocodiles which are tame and
are spread out in and around the pool which is covered in water
lillies. The custodian family of the pool are the Bojang family
who are were the founding family of Bakau village & have cared for
the pool and its crocodilian inhabitants for over 500 years.
Kachikally Sacred Pool is widely known locally for its healing powers
and as a place where people pray for blessings. It is a place of last
resort for infertile women who wish to conceive. Many others with
long-term ailments or misfortunes also come to the pool. People make a
humble petition to the Bojang family by bringing Kola-nuts and other
small offers. In the case of a woman who is barren, once she has
been washed, she is told to keep faithful to her husband and "not
to shake hands with another man" for a year (a local expression
not to commit adultery). Faithfulness and prayer over the next year
should bring forth a child. After giving birth, the woman brings the
child to Kachikally Sacred Pool where the baby is washed to ensure its
well-being.
The Nile Crocodiles first came to the pool, as explained by one of
the Bojang family's ancestors, Ansu-Kama Bojang, it happened a day,
over 500 years ago, when Tambass and Jalley Kumba (the children
of the founder of Bakau village) went fishing, accompanied by their sister
Mye-Metta,
(over 500 years ago) around a swamp area called ‘Tambe-Koba’ which was about 400 meters from the pool. They caught two small
Nile Crocodiles which they decided to entrust to the sacred Kachikally Pool. The spirit of the pool accepted their wish and promised to take care of the crocodiles for generations to come.
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© Copyright 2007 Kachikally Sacred Crocodile Pool & Museum. All Rights Reserved.
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