Rites of Passage
SoÜTi1WF.STERN
UNITED STATES
Sunrise Dance
First menstruation
Apache girls incarnate the
deity Changing Woman
during a strenuous
four-day ritual of prayer
and dancing; given
Apache woman name at
ceremony's conclusion.
LATIN AMERICA
Qilinceafier.l
Age 15
Girls attend Mass, followed by
a party with friends and family;
the celebrations are often lavish,
with the guest of honor
typically wearing a formal
e.rening gown and tiara.
SOUTH
Pubertv Ceremonv
First menstruation
Tikuna girls, painted black and
decorated with eagle feathers,
sing, dance, and jump over
fire for up to four days; they
are then isolated and taught
about the tribe's history and
adult responsibilities.
BR,vnt_
Bullet Ant Ritual
Late adolescence
Sateré-Mawé boys wear gloves
filled with venomous ants for ten
minutes, and endure pain and
paralysis for an additional
twenty-four hours; boys must
undergo the trial twenty times
-to be considered men.
Puberty Ceremony
.qd'4
UNITED KINGD0.M
Debutante Ball
Ages 16-20
Upper-class girls attend
Queen Charlotte's Ball
wearing White gowns
and tiaras, demonstrating
well-bred manners; the
occasion marks their
first formal appearance
n high society.
U,xmsn STXrF.s
Driver's License
Age 16
Adolescents complete a
written exam and driving
test; passing the evaluation
grants the right to operate
a motor vehicle without
adult supervision.
KEY
Male
Female
Both Elenders
AFRICA
Whi in ' Ceremonv
Early adolescence
Fulani boys are paired Off,
taking turns flogging each Other
while attempting to show no
discomfort; the boy with the
harder stroke and greater show
Of bravery is judged the winner.
Ritual Circumcision
ISRAEL
Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Age 12 (female), 13 (male)
Jewish boys and girls
read a portion of the
Torah during a Shabbat
service; a party for
friends and family is
often held in honor of
the child's passage into
religious adulthood.
ETII[OI'IA
Cattle Jum in '
Late adolescence
Hamar boys leap and
dash across a row of
immobilized cattle four
times without falling.
Southt AFRICA
Ritual Circumcision
L ate adolescence
Xhosa boys are circumcised,
painted with white clay, and
made to fast in seclusion;
upon returning, their bodies
are coated in fat as a symbol
Of manhood.
Bar Mitzvah
TIBET
Hair Chanu'inv:
Ages 1347
Tibetan girls are presented
with a colorful robe, hair
ornaments, and various
gifts; their hair is arranged
into many small braids by
a hairdresser selected bv
the girB family, signifying
gnarrtage eligibility.
INDIA
Upanayana
Ages 5-24
Hindu boys and girls of
upper castes receive a
ritual bath and are given
a sacred thread by a
guru to be worn across
the chest throughout
their life to indicate
"twiceborn" status.
GUINEA
Crocodile Scarring
No specific age
Sepik tribesmen receive
hundreds of small cuts on
their chests, backs, and
buttocks in a pattern
representing crocodile
teethmarks; clay and ash
are rubbed into the wounds
to produce raised scars.
CENTRAL At;vrRALIA
Circumcision Ceremonv
First signs Of puberty
Walpiri boys travel With
relatives through neighboring
towns, returning with a
gathering of pubescent boys
and other tribes people for
a circumcision ritual.
Quinceahera
Bullet
A [It Ritual
Ceremonv
Crocodile Scarring
JAI'AN
Comin -of-A e Dav
Age 20
Young men and w
partake in nationwide
festivities to celebrate
attaining legal Status Of
adult; men dress in
suits, while women
wear kimonos and
white fur collars.
PENT.'.cos-r ISLAND
l,and Di'.ritut
Ages 5-20
Bovs leap from a tower
to the ground below
with vines tied to their
ankles to absorb the dive.
Boys first jump from
twenty feet, increasing
the dive height each
year until reaching
the maximum height
of seventy feet.
l.and Diving
Map by Haisam Hussein
laphamsquarterly.org