Merriam- Webster defines coming of age as the, “the
attainment of prominence, respectability, recognition, or maturity”. With every day
that passes one learns important information that will enable them to be, “adult”. The initiation is the liminal stage the boy
must pass through. It shows his readiness for manhood and to be a warrior.
Often, the liminal stage involves some form of physical hardship the
participant must go through, they must prove they are capable of earning their
new status. Like every culture, the Sateré-Mawé, the indigenous tribe of the
Brazilian Amazon, has a distinct coming of age ceremony. In order to achieve the status of a man,
thirteen year old boys must go through the Bullet
Ant Initiation. Once the jungle is searched for the Bullet Ants, a leader
submerges them into an herbal solution which sedates the ants. They are weaved
into gloves made out of leaves and yarn. The ant’s stinger is pointed toward
the interior of the glove. After the sedation wears off the ants are greatly agitated.
The boy’s hands and part of his arms are coated with charcoal in order to
because the ant’s to be confused, this will make them sting more. After that
step is complete, the leaf gloves are then placed on both of the young boy’s
hands and the ants begin to sting. After ten minutes have passed, the ant venom
will cause the boy’s hands and part of his arms to be temporarily paralyzed, he
may also shake uncontrollably for days. Before the initiation is complete, the
boy will go through the ordeal twenty times throughout a period of months or
even years. Crying out during this process would demonstrate weakness, so it is
rare that one does.
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| Young boy wearing the Bullet Ant gloves. |
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| Elder waking up one of the initiates |
Similarly, the Maasai of Southern
Kenya also have coming of age ceremonies. However, there are several stages the
boys must pass through in order to become men, they are Enkipaata and Emuratta. The first stage is Enkipaata, or pre circumcision ceremony. Boys around the age of fourteen through
sixteen are gathered, separated from their families, and led across the land
for about four months by group of
elders. Houses are built in an area approved by the Oloiboni. The Oloiboni, “is
a highly regarded spiritual leader in charge of Maasai religious, customs, and
traditional affairs” (Maimai n.d.) . A chief of the boys, or Olopolosi olkiteng, is also chosen.
This position is considered unfortunate because he is held responsible for all
of the sins of the group. The boys must sleep outside in the forest the
day before the Enkipaata. When they
return the boys participate in a day of singing and dancing in traditional
clothing. The most important coming of age ceremony however is the Emuratare, or circumcision and
is performed shortly after puberty occurs. Circumcision signifies the change
from of a boy into that of a man. In order to go through initiation the boy
must perform certain task like “carrying a heavy spear and herding large
herd of livestock.” (Maimai n.d.) By doing so, the
boy proves himself to the community. The process of circumcision lasts eight days;
the boy must herd cattle for seven of the eight days and on the final day the
circumcision takes place before the sun rises by an experienced man. Upon
successful completion, the newly circumcised boy, “would receive gifts of livestock from his relatives and friends.
He would also gain a tremendous amount of respect for his bravery.” (Maimai n.d.) For the next four to
eight months, the boy will remain in black cloths as he fully heals. Once the
healing has been completed, he will emerge as a new person with a new status, a
man and warrior.
Now that we’ve explored both the Sateré-Mawé and the Maasai coming of age practices we may determine if there are
similarities or differences between the two. A similarity between the two is
the fact that both ceremonies involve putting oneself through physical tests,
whether it is endurance of dancing for an extended period of time or being able
to withstand the feeling of hundreds of stinging ants. This could suggest that
in both cultures, men must be able to withstand pain and engage in tasks that
may not necessarily be pleasurable. Another similarity we may identify is that
both ceremonies last an extended period of time. Recall that the Sateré-Mawé Bullet Ant Initiation lasted over several months and the Maasai Emuratta ceremony alone lasted eight days, not counting
the Enkipaata ceremony. The
males of both cultures must prove themselves to their fellow community members
and earn their right to have the status of a man. In both cultures, the boys have some sort of
mentor or teacher that shares information verbally or by instructing them
through activities. This shows that they believe most knowledge should come
from elders and through experience. There are also some
differences we may observe between the cultures. The first difference is in the
Bullet Ant Initiation, the ants are the entity that are causing the physical
harm to the boy, and in the circumcision it is the experienced elder performing
the pain inflicting act. Another difference is the amount of time it takes the
boy to heal after the coming of age ceremony occurs. After the Bullet Ant
Initiation the boy may convulse for a few days due to the vast among of venom
in the bloodstream, but it take several months for the Maasai boy to heal due to lack of
modern medical techniques we use today after operations are performed. It is
blatant that there are similarities and differences between the two cultures
coming of age ceremonies, but what is most important to understand is that in
order to be accepted and initiated with a new status among their communities
the initiates must perform a task that will challenge the individual both
physically and mentally.
Bibliography
Bibliography
A, Derek. 13 amazing coming of
age traditions from around the world. September 9, 2014.
http://www.globalcitizen.org/Content/Content.aspx?id=070c47a6-f0df-4680-88e7-a80158cdacc6
(accessed 12 6, 2014).
"Elder Waking
Initiate." Unesco.
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A Critica Manaus. Pennsylvania State University.
2013. http://sites.psu.edu/mgeitnerrcl/2013/11/16/satere-mawe-initiation/. (accessed 12 6, 2014).
Maimai, Ole. Maasai
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