...Rites of Passage: The Making of an Adult Coleen Adams ANT 101 Professor Cohen October 14, 2013 Throughout the world, every culture has introduced their own versions of the “Rites of Passage”. The coming of age when you pass from being a child into adulthood. Some rites are as simple as a dance or the painting of faces, while others are as extreme as forceful circumcision and sleeping with other men’s wives. Regardless of the circumstances, it’s never easy becoming a grown-up. As a part of the Western Culture, we seldom observe, have knowledge of or understand the uniqueness of participating in a Rite of Passage. We are exposed to the “American” versions of the Bar Mitzvah, Quinceanera’s and the Vision Quest of the American Indian, while not acknowledging our own that we take for granted daily. Whether its following in our parents or siblings footsteps, getting a driver’s license or receiving a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. Some people believe that you don’t become an adult until your parents pass away. In actuality, all are forms of a Rite of Passage. While researching this particular topic in the Ashford Library, there were wonderful examples of what the Rites of Passage has endured throughout the centuries. Coupling this with information from the local library, one can cross reference articles, journals, books and government databases (which regretfully are not functioning because of the government shutdown) in depth. By cross...
Words: 783 - Pages: 4
...Rites of Passage: The Birth of a New Born Child Quialetta Harris ANT 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Instructor Amy VanSurksum December 3, 2013 Rites of passage are events that mark important transitions in one’s life. They are usually associated with marriage, giving birth, baptisms, puberty, or death. By means of rites of passage, individuals advance from one hierarchy of life to another and assume new responsibilities (Grimes, 2000). A rite of passage can be more than just a journey or a sort of transition. It could be a venture from what someone was, to what that person will become. It could be different and sometimes terrifying, but it could symbolize one’s growth from adolescence to adulthood (Stoep, A. Vander. 2000). Everyone has experienced several rites of passages during their lifetime. It is the transitions in life that has lead us to what we are right now. You might not realize the rite of passage when it came, but it does affect you greatly. Usually, rites of passage are sad and hard to deal with, when you’ve figured out how to get out of it, you gain a sense of maturity. Rites of passage aren’t rare, they happen more often than people think. When an adolescence transition into adulthood several changes occur in this process slowly transforming them from child, to a young woman or man then adulthood (Stoep, A. Vander. 2000). This is a process that everyone goes through once...
Words: 654 - Pages: 3
...Rites of Passage/Separation, initiation, and reintegration Rites of Passage are significant transition points in the lives of people. They occur often and in many ways throughout a lifetime and in all cultures. There is a marking or a celebration of times that are considered to be a special period of growth, a period of separation from the past and a transition or journey forward to a new stage of life often involving a challenge to change and become new, to mature or move into a different period of growth. These times are celebrated with rituals or ceremonies that include whole communities. A mythologist named Joseph Campbell “put forward the idea of a threefold rite of passage called the monomyth”. He used it in hero roles in legends and myths to illustrate how it applies to humanity as well. A rite of passage included three parts, separation, initiation, and reintegration. It had to do with the coming of a time to separate oneself from family, friends, old ways, or an old life. It is a time when one separates themselves from everyday surroundings and society and takes a ‘sacred voyage’ or journey to a special place, a sacred place. This place is often where one endures hardships or tests that cause a person to think about all they have learned and have been and who they really are and intend to be. This stage is often called the initiation and is marked by a challenge or struggle. It is a time of overcoming, a time of accomplishment and at its...
Words: 346 - Pages: 2
...A Rites of Passage is a ceremony, that many cultures observe. It marks the child's formal entry into adulthood. Depending on the culture, the ceremonies usually occur when a young person is considered an adult somewhere between,13to 20 years old. Some of these ceremonies involve the whole community. Others are simple; a haircut and change of clothes, a prayer with the priest. Some are a bigger event like a big dinner or a party. Some ceremonies are even more involved, with requirements for the young person to kill a goat, be subjected to ant stings, or spend three days alone in the wilderness. Japan has a "coming of age day", once a year, in January, the entire country celebrates the new adults. Imagine the encouragement that comes with...
Words: 359 - Pages: 2
...Programme: MBA DL Student Number: Module: Foundations of Knowledge and Professional Skills Assignment Question Part A. Locate, read and review the following article: Tansley, C. and Tietze, S. (2013) ‘Rites of passage through talent management progressions stages: an identity work perspective’, The International Journal of Human Resource Management 24(9): 1799—1815. Part B. Reflect on the discussions that you have engaged in within your study groups on Blackboard. Explain how the lessons that you have learnt from the activities have influenced how you have approached and written your assignment Word Count: Part A: 1,054 Part B: 509 Total: 1,563 Research Questions Addressed by Study The research questions by Tansley & Tietze (2013) are ‘What constitutes rites of passage across successive levels of a talent management programme?’ and ‘What is the role of identity work in ensuring successful advancement through each talent management rite of passage?’ Theoretical Framework Underpinning the Study The study was to build on the literature of talent management at the individual and communal levels since existing talent management literature is mainly concerned with the structural aspect of talent management strategies. Therefore, not much emphasis has been placed on how management strategies and protocols are experienced and responded to by talent at different stages of talent management process and how these responses...
Words: 1769 - Pages: 8
...Rites of Passage Your Name ANT 101 Instructor's Name Date In times we see many different cultures that evolved around the earth and throughout time as well. This paper will examine Native Americans, Greek and the Japanese rites of passage. Ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person's life, such as birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and death. Rites of passage usually involve ritual activities and teachings designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new roles. The traditional American wedding ceremony is such a rite of passage. In many so-called primitive societies, some of the most complex rites of passage occur at puberty, when boys and girls are initiated into the adult world. In some ceremonies, the initiates are removed from their village and may undergo physical mutilation before returning as adults (Rites of passage,(n.d.). Rites of Passage have been a path of life throughout time and space. Anthropologists have found many differences between cultures but also many similatries. Rites of passage from boy to man or girl to woman are different in some and strange in others. The Native Americans and the Greeks were not the same as the Japanese, but yet believed in some of the same old blood ways. Rites are not taught but learned throughout one’s lifetime. Native Americans had a volatile version of passage. In the earlier years, the Native American boys would play as boys. They would follow fathers and...
Words: 2567 - Pages: 11
...Rites of Passage A rite of passage centers on a marked event and can spotlight an adolescent girl or boy reaching puberty such as the first day of school, marriage, baptism, or a first haircut. . Rite of passage in some societies can be pronounce by milestones and however it can be a long complex preparation. Generally rites of passage can show social values and beliefs that can be very important in various cultures. Puberty is a rite of passage, which number events in life take place and the events lead to adulthood and maturity. Puberty can be an especially, trying time for some an adolescence girl or boy. Girl During Puberty During puberty a girl’s body goes through emotional change such as psychical change, social change, and cognitive development. Puberty is the change in body size, proportions, motor performance, and sexual maturity. Girls tend to age two years earlier than boys. Girls have a growth spurt and their hips begin to grow wider and rounder and weight is gain in the upper arms, back, and thighs. Girls begin at the age of nine to grow at least 17% to 18% of adult height, generally six months prior to getting the first menstrual cycle. Usually during puberty girls need to increase activity or exercise and eat healthy food. Girls go through emotional changes during the menstrual period pubertal events, after the growth spurt. The psychological impact of girls during menstrual period can contribute to physical changes of a girl. Typically a girl will...
Words: 1463 - Pages: 6
...Negative Rite of Passage: Infibulation 1. Who? Some 5 million isolated inhabitants of Somalia. Children from four to eight years old. 2. What? a mulative procedure in which the vagina is partially closed by approximating the labia majora in the midline. 3. Where? In the arid, poverty-stricken "Horn of Africa". 4. When? The operations are often done on Sunday, a working day for Moslems. 5. Why? The custom is deeply rooted in the country and has been performed since remotest time on all social classes in both the interior regions and in the few coastal towns. The operation would certainly make the woman less sexually active, since satisfactory coitus is almost impossible after infibulation. 6. How? Since the population is largely nomadic, most operations are carried out in local villages. Infibulation as practiced in the bush is carried out on one child at a time by a "gedda" or matron of the village. Only women are allowed to be present at the ceremony which is carried out in secrecy. The matron squats on the floor of the family hut while the child is held in a lithotomy position by female relatives and friends. Again, the clitoris and labia are excised, but no anesthesia is used. Before the wound is closed, the mother and all the other women are allowed to inspect and palpate the wound to be sure the procedure has been properly performed. Then the wound is generously sprinkled with myrrh, a resinous material extracted from a native tree. Instead of sutures, thorns from...
Words: 679 - Pages: 3
...Rites of Passage/Separation, initiation, and reintegration Rites of Passage are significant transition points in the lives of people. They occur often and in many ways throughout a lifetime and in all cultures. There is a marking or a celebration of times that are considered to be a special period of growth, a period of separation from the past and a transition or journey forward to a new stage of life often involving a challenge to change and become new, to mature or move into a different period of growth. These times are celebrated with rituals or ceremonies that include whole communities. A mythologist named Joseph Campbell “put forward the idea of a threefold rite of passage called the monomyth”. He used it in hero roles in legends and myths to illustrate how it applies to humanity as well. A rite of passage included three parts, separation, initiation, and reintegration. It had to do with the coming of a time to separate oneself from family, friends, old ways, or an old life. It is a time when one separates themselves from everyday surroundings and society and takes a ‘sacred voyage’ or journey to a special place, a sacred place. This place is often where one endures hardships or tests that cause a person to think about all they have learned and have been and who they really are and intend to be. This stage is often called the initiation and is marked by a challenge or struggle. It is a time of overcoming, a time of accomplishment and at its end one...
Words: 1444 - Pages: 6
...Everybody has encountered certain rites of passages in their lives. The circumstances we experience during our life time from the beginning to the end, it could be sad or it could be happy. I have undergone many rites of passages but, the one that changed my life the most was flying into America when I was only seventeen year old. It was the Day of Eid-ul-Fiter, festival comes right after Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims fasting from sunrise to sunset). The day my dad called my uncle and told him that he won the lottery ticket. When our uncle told us that news immediately gave a shine on my mom face she becomes so excited. My mom told us that our dad will be going to America. We all were so happy to hear the new. After few months it was time to say Goodbye to my dad because he was leaving for America. When my dad arrived in America He send us money so that we can come live with him. Finally, the day came when my dad told that we will be coming to him soon. “Really, you mean to America” my sister Asma said that, OMG.” We became much more excited than anything else. I told all my friends that our whole family will be leaving Kashmir(a county a on the border of India and Pakistan)soon. My friends all become sad. I was so happy but was also sad because I didn’t want to leave my friends and cousins, all were so loving and caring. Before leaving Kashmir, Pakistan I thought to go over the places in my village and wanted to visit my relatives also. Next...
Words: 1081 - Pages: 5
...Rites of Passage Danielle Gialluca ANT 101 Elizabeth Spott November 17, 2014 There are milestones, and rites of passage all over the world, in all different cultures and societies. Some of them are non-religious centered, like a child’s first birthday. While others are more intricate and not as widely celebrated, such as female circumcision, which is more of a religious, and cultural practice. In areas in Africa, one tribe may practice one specific rite of passage, while the neighboring tribe may have something completely different. The fact that there are rites of passage all over the world is a uniting factor in communities far and wide. In this paper, the Jewish Bar Mitzvah is celebration of the passing from a child to young adulthood, while in Toraja community, the people have specific stages to go through after someone draws their final breath, while both are very important rites in their respective communities, both based on religion. The Jewish religion has several different rites of passage, as do most religions. The Jewish Religion is one that has been practiced since before Jesus Christ. Most people hear that someone is Jewish and they immediately think of Hanukah, and the menorah. But there is much more to this ancient, yet still practiced religion. It is a religion that is practiced throughout the globe, with several different types depending on the internal beliefs on specific things, but one thing that is common is their rites of passage, different...
Words: 1617 - Pages: 7
...Teen drug use shouldn’t be looked at as a rite of passage but as a public health problem, say experts, and one that has reached “epidemic” levels. In a new report on drug, alcohol and tobacco use among teens in the U.S., the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University finds that 75% of all high school students have used alcohol, tobacco or either legal or illicit drugs and that 20% of these adolescents are addicted. The data also support previous studies that link early substance use to addiction later in life: 90% of Americans who are currently addicted started smoking, drinking or using drugs before age 18. A quarter of those who begin using addictive substances at these early ages become addicted as adults,...
Words: 309 - Pages: 2
...Rite of Passage April 16, 2011 BHSH 342 Rite of Passage In middle childhood and adolescence there are many transitions that a child faces. A child changes from early childhood; venturing into public school systems and finding friendships outside of their family. Children in middle childhood are confronted with peer, academic, and sport groups. For the first time they have the opportunity to form relationships with individuals who may challenge their family’s morals and values. The child whose main focus was family will mature into an adolescent, who is more comfortable around peers than their mother and father. These common changes in a child’s life are transitions just like the biological and social transformations the body will experience. Rites of Passage A Rite of Passage is “any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another” (American Dictionary, 2006). Rites of passage combine separation, initiation, and reintegration. During these steps, a child is separating themselves from a parent, friend, or past knowledge to make a deeper discovery of themselves and life. During this journey, the individual has changed and become more mature in thought and understanding. The voyage from adolescence into adulthood will be an experience of several rites of passages. A girl will begin menstruating, an occurrence stating that she is entering motherhood, and a boy will begin growing body and facial hair and broadening...
Words: 1601 - Pages: 7
..."Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others overweighing your concern for yourself " - John Mac Naughton once said. It is particularly true in Vietnam where men who can not be regarded as a mature person until he gets his first baby, even though they might have already got a well-paid job and married a good woman. In my opinion, having the first child is the most important event marking the maturity of a people in both financial and spiritual terms. In this essay, I would like to present three explanations to clarify my point of view. People should first recognize that the typical characteristic of maturity is good financial management. Admittedly, financial pressure encountered by the people who first experience parenthood is tremendous, which impels them to perceive the value of money differently. Most married people thoroughly contemplate whether buying those goods would reduce the amount of money spent on raising a child instead of throwing their money around pursuing personal interests. Moreover, saving should also occupy an important part in financial plan, which allows people to guarantee their child's future regardless of any unexpected events. At this point, as for controlling financial problem, the people who have kid would be more highly evaluated than the people who are just able to sufficiently support for themselves.Therefore, the child existence accompanied with extra expenses attributes to build up characteristics of a grown-up person...
Words: 318 - Pages: 2
...HRT 3M1 Religious Education Rite of Passage Culminating Activity Over the course of this semester, a number of religions were studied in terms of origins, beliefs, practices, symbols, milestones and impact. The time has come to put into practice the learning that has taken place! Many religions have a method by which youngsters in their particular faith are recognized as adults. The Learning Goal: • I will present a rite of passage from any religion discussed and researched throughout the term. • I will research and describe an important rite of passage from a particular religion and compare it to rites of passage from my own religion or to ones I knew of in general. • I will analyze the meaning and significance of the rite of passage I chose. Any rite of passage from a religion not discussed in class must be approved by the teacher first. The Process: This culminating activity will be completed in groups of 2 -3, but marks will be awarded individually based on the attached rubric and peer/self-evaluations. You and your partner(s) will present your rite of passage idea in the form of a written report and your choice of creative presentation that can be a video, a song, a game, an activity, interactive smart board exercise, presentation a role play, a website etc. The groups are encouraged to use multiple presentation strategies. This will tie in everything you have learned and demonstrate...
Words: 1679 - Pages: 7
