Empowerment of North American Indian Girls: Ritual Expressions at PubertyEmpowerment of North American Indian Girls is an examination of coming-of-age-ceremonies for American Indian girls past and present, featuring an in-depth look at Native ideas about human development and puberty. Many North American Indian cultures regard the transition from childhood to adulthood as a pivotal and potentially vulnerable phase of life and have accordingly devised coming-of-age rituals to affirm traditional values and community support for its members. Such rituals are a positive and enabling social force in many modern Native communities whose younger generations are wrestling with substance abuse, mental health problems, suicide, and school dropout. Developmental psychologist Carol A. Markstrom reviews indigenous, historical, and anthropological literatures and conveys the results of her fieldwork to provide descriptive accounts of North American Indian coming-of-age rituals. She gives special attention to the female puberty rituals in four communities: Apache, Navajo, Lakota, and Ojibwa. Of particular interest is the distinctive Apache Sunrise Dance, which is described and analyzed in detail. Also included are American Indian feminist interpretations of menstruation and menstrual taboos, the feminine in cosmology, and the significance of puberty customs and rites for the development of young women. |
Contents
1 | |
2 Contemporary Youth Concerns in Historical Perspective | 26 |
3 North American Indian Perspectives on Human Development | 46 |
4 Menstruation Cosmology and Feminism | 85 |
5 Historical Overview of ComingofAge Practices | 123 |
6 The Apache Sunrise Dance | 192 |
7 Interpretation of the Apache Sunrise Dance | 259 |
Other editions - View all
Empowerment of North American Indian Girls: Ritual Expressions at Puberty Carol A. Markstrom No preview available - 2008 |
Empowerment of North American Indian Girls: Ritual Expressions at Puberty Carol A. Markstrom No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
according acquire activities addition adolescence adult American Indian cultures Apache appear associated become behavior beliefs blessings boys Buffalo Changing chapter coming-of-age common connection contemporary continue cultural area customs dancers discussed engaged event experience explained expressions female forms four further future girl’s historical human hunting identity important indicated individual initiate instance instruction Kinaaldá lives male meanings medicine menstrual Mescalero mother Mountain Native Navajo North American Indian noted numerous observed occurred Ojibwa particular past performance person phase physical placed practices preparation present puberty ceremony pubescent girls quest regarded relative represents respect responsibilities rite of passage rites rituals roles sacred San Carlos seclusion separation serve significant similar social societies songs span specific spiritual status Sunrise Dance taboos thought tion traditional transition tribes understanding values various vision Western White Painted Woman women young