EDF2085-Reflection #7

Rites of passage are stages of your life, like becoming an adult or getting married. It is what separates you from your previous “stage”. They represent many cultural aspects. Usually the most common rites of passage are the evolving into adulthood, which usually includes initiations that last for some period of time. To the Sambia’s the most important part of a man was his semen and the most important part of a woman was her menstrual blood. They believe when the woman gets her menstrual cycle for the first time it means she is ready for sex, marriage, or to give birth. The men on the other hand are said to be born with nothing, they begin to produce the semen during adolescence but with the help of a certain process they have to undergo, an initiation that takes several years. An example of rites of passage is that when the young boys reach 7-10 years old they are taken away from their mother/home. They then live with men who teach them the key acts of maturity and show them ritual secrets. All this happens for ten years or so. They teach them all these different ways and things they are supposed to know at this age which relates a lot to formal education, because in the end they see if they are finally ready almost like a test. Just like formal education, they are tested at the end of the year to see if they’ve learned all the material and are ready to go on to the next grade level. Facing Mt. Kenya they circumcise both sexes as their way of uniting them into the organization. They include dancing and singing ceremonies before the actual operation. The girls are put on a special diet before the initiation and have to have their head shaved as well. A race is performed and a boy is the judge of who wins, the next day the operations occurs. In Sitting Quietly the two boys had to kill something in which would bring them into the life of adulthood. They were frightened and tired when they had to face it, but they would not show it. They finally overcame it and were known as “men” in the city and no longer “good for nothing”. Rite of passage shows you and teaches you how to do things into becoming an adult or becoming more superior just like education does. A formal education helps you for the future, into becoming an adult, and teaches you what you need to know to progress.