Kuria

“Rites of passage” is a term often used in anthropology to refer to specific ceremonies that mark a personal or collective change in the identity of a person. “The term rite of passage was first used in anthropology to encapsulate rituals that symbolize the transition of an individual or a group from one status to another, or to denote the passage of calendrical time”. (Tzanelli, 2010) Rites of passage have been a major part of almost all educational, social and spiritual groups. They have been observed immensely in native tribal-traditional societies, which account for ninety nine percent of human history. All around the world, societies implement unique rituals and events to signify a transition of a person from one social identity to another. (Frey, 2013). Rites of passage ceremonies and rituals take place throughout an individual’s whole life cycle starting

Throughout this section, I will explore the rites of passage in the Japanese community from an emic perspective. Crapo (2013) defines emic, “an insider’s or native’s meaningful account— may be written for outsiders but portrays a culture and its meanings as the insider under¬stands it. Exploring the Japanese community from an emic perspective takes dedication and understandings. The Japanese community has a wide variety of ceremonies that are practiced both in America and Japan. Some traditional ceremonies or celebrations are the baptisms, marriages, death and afterlife. According to Ichihara (2013), a baptisms practice reveals that “The 1959 Prayer Book was revolutionary in the initiation rites. It combined the traditional three different

Before the arrival of European influence, villagers of Umuofia had a single option for a way of life. It was a place to be feared, dominated by war and violent practices. Ibo culture is centered on a patriarchal system based on hierarchy; the highest titles held by male egwugwu in the legal system and the osu at the bottom. The main character, Okonkwo, represents the ambition to strive for a higher position in society in order to gain status: “His life had been ruled by a great passion-to become one of the lords of the clan” (131). Another aspect in Ibo culture is the representation of women. They are undermined in order for men to achieve success; bride prices are used to able men to marry more than one wife and husbands are

This study examines Horace Miner’s essay “Body Rituals Among the Nacirema. While using the participant observation approach, he gives us a new perspective on the daily behaviors within this group of people. Exploring ethnocentrism and how we view cultures outside of our own.

Dressed as birds, the young men arrive at the longhouse of a neighboring clan for a highly anticipated event, the Gisaro ceremony. They perform elaborate dances and sing at length in the clan’s territory about dead members of their host’s community and days gone by. This can go on for hours, with the purpose of eliciting an intense emotional response of nostalgia, upset, loneliness, and sorrow from their hosts. Once this has been achieved, their hosts attack them with lighted torches, burning their shoulder in anger and sorrow. The dancers are not allowed to show any emotional reaction, but they continue to dance until the hosts are done attacking the dancers. When the ceremony draws to a close, the dancers retreat back to their hut for the night and bring their hosts food in the morning. While this elaborate and violent ceremony may seem bizarre to the outside world, it is extremely important and valuable in the context of Kaluli society. Far from being a rare or inexplicable incident, the Gisaro ceremony is a highly anticipated and appreciated ritual for the Kaluli people that can only be understood in the context of their beliefs about reciprocity, food, and the afterlife.

The horrible practice of female circumcision in sections of Africa as summarized in Female Circumcision: Rite of Passage or Violation of Rights? must be stopped. Female circumcision has been exercised for centuries in Africa and is usually performed without any anesthetic by practitioners with insufficient knowledge of human medicine or anatomy. Female genital cutting is a component for preparing adolescent girls for womanhood and marriage. There are three general types of genital excision: clitoridectomy, excision, and infibulation - the severity is in ascending order. Infibulation is the most severe and is “particularly likely to cause long-term health problems” (Althaus 245). Despite the ample amount of risks and health problems, some practitioners view female circumcision as an “integral part of their cultural and ethnic identity, and some perceive it as a religious obligation” (Althaus 243). The cultural practice of female circumcision requires the scrutiny of the West and should be abolished altogether because genital excision is injurious to women's health, has no health benefits, and is a violation of human rights.

* Describe when the ritual takes place. Does it respond to some particular event? It is held at specific time of year? Is it held on a regular basis? Is it performed only when needed?

During the 20th century in East Africa, there was a woman named Wanjiku, and she went through difficult obstacles in her life. “Her life encompassed the dramatic intrusion of British colonialism, the coming of Christianity, the Mau Mau rebellion against European rule, the achievement of independence for Kenya in 1963, and the challenges of modernization in the decades that followed” (Strayer, p. 676). Strayer points out that, Wanjiku was able to experience the process of a new religion coming down their area and watching many things that are changing drastically. Wanjiku was part of the Gikuyu, and there were strict rules to follow. Trying to be labeled as a mature woman was a painful experience in the Gikuyu culture, and it was not simple as getting “ears pierced.” “Far more important, however, was her “circumcision,” a procedure that involved the cutting of her genitals and the excision of the clitoris” (Strayer, p.676). Strayer depicts that, young women have to go through this dangerous process to be known as a grown adult. Wanjiku did not want one of the young girls to go through this, and she wanted to protect them from being sexually abused by men. Therefore, Wanjiku formed a small group of

In Africa, there are many cultures, each their own traditions. They may seem strange and different

When someone dies in the village, the death is heard in a ritual fashion to inform the citizens of the community. The same is true when the village deals with a murder, or any other problem with an outside village. When the wife of Umuofia was killed in a market by a foreigner from another village, the community of both villages come together to figure out a resolution. When other problems arise in the Ibo community, like a cow running free, the people of the area rapidly come together to figure out who the cow belongs to so the cow does not cause more trouble. The colonizers strategically won the Ibo by winning their youth. The value of unity would not have continued if the youth was taken first. The traditions of unity would not continue in future generations, so the Europeans strategically and more easily get their way and rid of the Ibo culture. Some adults, like Okonkwo’s relative in his mother land, catch on to this strategy. The elder states “‘I say it because I fear for the younger generation… I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship.’” After the British won over the young people of the clan, the assemblies they had in the village started to dimmer. The man in charge of rallying the clan together said “‘This is a great gathering. No clan can boast of greater numbers or greater valor. But are we all here? I ask you: Are all the

-Aka do not have much in the way of group ritual activities. At birth, parents place protective cords produced using forest vines around an infant's neck, wrists, and lower legs. These are to protect the infant from awful spirits and help them connect him or her to the land. At five or six years old, young men are circumcised.

The Maasai people believe that once you are 14-16 you are a man. They have you travel across your section of land for 4 months. Women used to do this but with the rising challenges of the 21st century they had to stop. Enkipaata is used to elevate an individual from childhood to adulthood. Every boy in tribe has to do it. This is an important tradition because it proves your manhood. You also get to see how the world works from outside of the tribe. You learn to make weapons to hunt for food before you go. The time frame of which you are gone depends on your age. This tradition tests you in everything you have

Their highly energetic and athletic style of dancing, tall stature as well as their signature bright red clothing are just some of the unique things that define the Maasai. For many centuries, this indigenous tribe who lives in the vast open spaces of Africa’s Great Rift Valley found in the countries of Kenya and Tanzania, believes that God entrusted them with the cattle. Their lifestyle reflects the natural environment in which they live in as well as the rich ritual and traditions that they have managed to preserve today. The Maasai people have a reputation of being brave, responsible and fierce. Their community has its own way of hierarchal organization where the elder men and warriors are at the top and the women and children are at the bottom. “The core image Maasai people hold with respect to themselves is that of itunga’ana loo ngishu which means people of cattle or entelapu meaning those who are under cattle (Galaty 4). Most of the rituals and values of the Maasai people depend on their age and the relationship of the tribe is based on a strict set of rules. The Maasai’s patriarchal society, traditional rituals, and unique food system have made them unique among the other African Pastoralists.

Umuofia values have skewed Nwoye’s self-acceptance at a young age through constant acts of berating, establishing the abusive extent of gender roles. Nwoye’s love for “the stories his mother used to tell” contrasted Umuofian culture of “violence and bloodshed” (53) with his “gentleness and… idleness” (13), implying to the reader of his inevitable ties to Unoka beyond family name and blood. Umuofian response to such ties was woven with “constant nagging and beating” (14), suggesting the fragile nature of masculinity where it is threatened by “women’s stories” (54). It is in this that there is a feminine quality, which although not portrayed as negative “among the Ibo[, where] the art of conversation is regarded highly” yet harms Okonkwo and other men’s definition of virility (7). The reader is able to conclude that this feminine concept of

Another reason that they want to cut their skin is because without the skin-cutting rituals, they (young men) are not a full member of their father’s clan. It is an interesting culture which very different to modern society’s because we were born to be our family’s clan, we don’t have to do anything to prove because we have already had our birth certificate. Since it is too easy to be one of our family’s clan, there’s a certain amount of the people doesn’t appreciate of their identity and always against their family unlike the people in Chambri Tribe. They value it, they have to withstand the skin-cutting pain and the chances of death especially they are still in a third world country. They cherish their identity and their family members.