Transcript Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage
In the Beginning…
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During the early 20th
century, the Belgian
anthropologist, Arnold
Van Gennep, observed
that all cultures have
prescribed ways for an
individual and society to
deal with these emotion
charged situations
through rituals.
He called them rites of
passage.
The Tree of Life
•Imagine the stages of the
rites of passage as a Tree.
Each one of us is in a
particular stage of
development,
somewhere on this Tree.
•Each one of us is in a
particular stage of
development, somewhere on
this Tree.
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CONCEPTION: The seed is planted, the soil is fertile,
the seed dies for the new life to be born.
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BIRTH: Even as its roots stay well within the darkness
of the Earth, the tiny plant knows which way to grow.
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CHILDHOOD: Its roots grow stronger and deeper.
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ADOLESCENCE: The tree is vibrant, full of life and
potential, its essence bursting; flower buds appear and
begin to open.
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ADULTHOOD: Pollen is carried by bees and the
wind to fertilize and impregnate new life. The
blossoms begin to develop into fruit.
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ELDER: The fruit has ripened. There is now an
abundance of food to nourish and nurture new life.
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DEATH: It has lived its life. What is left returns to
the Earth in honor of all she has given. This in turn
replenishes the soil with nutrients. Death gives new
life.
A rite of passage, which marks a time
when a person reaches a new and
significant change in his/her life, is
something that nearly all societies
recognize and often hold ceremonies for.
 There are many rites of passage in our
lives. Some are considered more
significant than others.
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 Most
rites of passage fall into three
main phases:
 Separation
 Transition
 Incorporation.
Separation
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The participant is taken
away from his/her
familiar environment
and former role and
enters a very different
and sometimes foreign
routine that they are
forced to adjust to and
become familiar with.
(birth/death).
Transition
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This is the time that the
participant learns the
appropriate behaviour for
the new stage they are
entering. (engaged to be
married).
This is the time when
people learn and grow
and prepare to be an
independent adult in the
real world.
Incorporation
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This takes place when
the participant is
formally admitted into
the new role.
(marriage)
There are five times in one's life that are often
considered to be the most significant times of
change:
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Birth (first rite of
passage that
everyone goes
through). Naming a
child is part of this
rite. There are many
unique customs that
different cultures
observe when naming
their children.
Rites of Passage
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Leaving childhood
and becoming an
adolescent
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Leaving home
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Weddings
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Death/funerals
Societies typically hold elaborate ceremonies
each of which is unique to one's own culture.
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In Canada, typical rites of
passage are baptisms,
bar mitzvahs and
confirmations, school
graduations, weddings,
retirement parties, and
funerals.
Most are religious
ceremonies as they mark
the transition between an
individual's life stages
whilst reinforcing the
dominant religious views
and values of a culture.
Baby Smoking in Kimberly, Australia
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Shallow pit filled with
Konkerberry tree.
Fire – smoke symbolises
purification.
Mother gives the child to
grandmother who in turn
passes the child through
the smoke uttering a
blessing.
Teeth Filing
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In Bali women have
their upper teeth
(canines and incisors)
filed before marriage.
Beastly passions are
reduced.
If the young girl dies
before marriage, the
teeth are filed before
cremation.
Removal of Teeth
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While boys do not
experience such clear
physiological markers
of transition to
adulthood as
menstruation, their
rites of passage to
this new status in
some cultures are
more severe than for
girls.
Circumcision
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In indigenous
societies of Africa and
Australia, circumcision
and/or subincision
has been an integral
part of such rites. For
girls it can be
clitoridectomy.
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Among the cattle herding
Barabaig culture of East
Africa, the boys' heads
are shaved and their
foreheads are cut with
three deep horizontal
incisions that go down to
the bone and extend
from ear to
ear. Sometimes, the
incisions are deep enough
to show up on the skulls.
And now for something completely
different…
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Among the Luiseño
Indians, boys had to
undergo severe ordeals
such as laying on red ant
mounds and not crying
out from pain as they
were repeatedly bitten
over long periods of
time.
The Vanatau of Brazil –
the original Bungi
Jumpers!
Hazing
Tattooing and Body Modification
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Tattooing is one of peoples' oldest art
forms, coming somewhere between
scratching in the dirt and cave painting.
Early tattooing was used to symbolize the
fertility of the earth and of womankind,
preservation of life after death, the
sacredness of chieftainship and other
cultural factors.
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Tattooing as a rite of
adulthood. or passage
into puberty is
another common
tattoo ritual.
The idea is: if a girl cannot
take the pain of tattooing, she
is un-marriageable, because
she will never be able to deal
with the pain of child birth.
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If a boy cannot deal with the
pain of his puberty tattoos, he
is considered to be a bad risk
as a warrior, and could
become an outcast.
Clan Tattoos
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Clan markings are
another common
ritual tattoo. Not only
can you recognize
your friends quickly,
even in the frenzy of
battle, but more
importantly, your
people are connected
even beyond death.
Marriage Tattoos
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Family and marriage
tattoos are used in much
the same manner as clan
markings. Marriage
tattoos have been
particularly popular, to
insure that you can find
your lawful spouse or
spouses in the afterlife,
even if you have passed
through the veil, many
years apart.
In Memoriam
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Modern people still tattoo
to continue relationships
with deceased loved
ones, even if they do it
on a subconcious level.
You can see gravestones
with spouses, parents,
children, and friends
names on them. All of
these are modern
examples of tattooing to
connect the living to the
dead.
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The people of Borneo, especially the
Kayans, believe that not only would their
tattoos get them into the proper spirit
world, but could also be used as a further
qualification, for obtaining certain
profitable occupations in the spirit world.
Love Charms
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Love charms are still
a much-used magical
tattoo. A girl or boy
friend's name, with
hearts and roses,
etc., are modern love
charms, meant to
make the relationship
endure.
Maori Social Status
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Some primitive tribes use
tattooing as a rite of social
status. The Maori, of New
Zealand use tattooing primarily
for this purpose.
To the Maori, a person's Moko
designs enhanced their
prestige and show transition
from one social status to
another.
At its highest level, Moko
designs proclaimed the
sacredness of chieftanship.
Health Tattoos
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Another common
practice in tattooing
for health was the
tattooing of a god on
the afflicted person,
to fight the illness for
them. In India, the
Monkey God,
Hanuman, is a
common choice.
Facial Tattoos
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An offshoot of
tattooing for health is
tattooing to preserve
youth.
Maori girls tattooed
their lips and chin, for
this reason.
As Luck Would Have It…
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Primitive people often
got tattooed before
an ordeal or
dangerous enterprise.
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A man in Burma who
desires good luck will
tattoo a parrot on his
shoulder.
In the Western World
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Today, in the West,
you can see dice,
spades, and Lady
Luck tattoos, which
are worn to bring
good luck.
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In the 1970's, American tattooing
discovered primitive, tribal tattoos. People
wanted simple designs with meaning and
they began copying designs, primarily
from Borneo, Japan, and the islands of the
South Pacific.
Sailors
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Sailors were the first to
return tattooing to Europe.
From the 1600's to the
Second World War, sailors
tattooed a chicken on one
foot and a pig on the other,
as a charm against
drowning.
With age comes wisdom…?
The Latest Craze?