The Acholi people practice a unique system of forgiveness. If a person is truly seeking to be forgiven for past indiscretions, no matter how severe they are, they may begin a process of forgiveness, called mato oput, meaning literally “to drink from the tree”. This process is takes time and culminates in a ceremony where the offending and offended parties drink the waters of a local tree together. Alternatively, a ceremony can be performed where the offender steps on an egg, symbolizing a return to innocence, and then steps over a line, where they are then accepted back into the community. The acceptance is so complete that, after the ceremony, if anyone in the community accuses the person of wrongdoing, it is the accuser that will be tried for offending the community.