When an individual experiences movement, or a change from an affixed position in society
to another position, that individual can easily describe their change as a passage into a
new realm of living. A new realm of living is the way in which the individual and
society views, acknowledges, and proceeds with their life. Their changes are monumental
not only for the individual, but for his/her society as well. Many changes take place
during the span of a persons life. They become rites of passage and rituals of
initiation-which are more than just simple changes. A plethora of come with these rites
and are found in all corners of the globe. Going on vision quests, by the plains Indians
of North America, to circumcision by certain Australian cultures, rites of passage
present a vast table of religious comparisons(Eliade, p. 287-88).
This essay will examine two rites of initiation, by comparing and contrasting their
importance to each culture, and discussing how that importance affects that particular
individual as well as their society. Finally, the essay will explore possible reasons as
to why these initiation rites hold a deep meaning in their respective societies.
The Kurnai of Australia have an initiation rite for the sons of married men in their
perspective villages. Within a section by A. W. Howitt, in EliadeOs book, From Primitives
to Zen: A thematic Sourcebook of the History of Religions , a ceremony known as the
?Showing the GrandfatherO is described(Eliade, p. 288) In this initiation the Kurnai
have a formal way of bringing a manOs son into the highest, and most secret realm of
their religion. By incorporating the use of the father and son relationship, this
particular ritual involves the revelation of the central meaning, or ?mysteryO of their
religion. The men and women are separated. Secrecy is one the most important traditions
in this initiation. The initiation is not revealed to the women, or anyone else not of
their society. The sons, or ?novicesO as Howitt calls them, are taught the proper
religious traditions that they need to know for the ceremony, and for the rest of their
lives, as this initiation will conclude their step into religious righteousness, and
manhood. This all takes place the day before the ceremony, while other men, who have
already been through the ceremony, prepare by hunting for food and arranging a site, not
too far from the village, where the initiation will take place. The next morning, a new
day at hand, the novices are taken to the site at which time the ceremony commences.
Howitt continues in writing of his recollection of the ritual by inferring that after
many ritual movements (gestures of offering towards their god, etc.) and instrumental
songs such as the ?TundunO, ?the Kurnai have two bull-roarers, a larger one called
Tundun, or Othe manO, and a smaller one called ORukat-Tundun,O the woman, or wife of
Tundun.O. After this the novicesO are instructed of the importance of the secrecy
factor, and the laws by which they can be punished if they reveal anything to their
mothers, sisters, or anyone other than the men of that society. Howitt even points out
horror stories that are told to the novices about the punishment of man, a burning
world, because he revealed the ceremony to women back in the village after being
initiated. He writes that these stories exist in the Kurnai to scare the novices into
not telling anyone the ritual. The ceremony even used to have a part where the men took
spears, cocked them back over their shoulders, and pointed them at the Novices. Such a
hostile act was used to instill the feeling they would have if they ever revealed the
secrets of the initiation, not to mention a cold rush of intense fear. From there the
ritual is ended and the novices play the Tundun.
Unlike the secret nature of the Kurnai ceremony the ShashoniOs of Central-Western
Wyoming offer a more open and artistic ceremony for their initiations. During puberty,
the boys, by their own motives, participate in the traditional ?Sun DanceO, as pointed
out in a section by Ake Hultkrantz in Byron EarhartOs book Religious Traditions of the
World,
the boys...participate in the Sun Dance, usually on their own initiative. However
their motives today are mainly social: to show other youths their strength and
endurance and of course to impress the girls. In a way their present participation in
the Sun Dance takes place of the vision quest as a mark of the attainment of
adulthood(Earhart, p. 306).
The girls also have rites of initiation. One that is much more involved and detailed,
and has many more ?taboosO associated with them. For example, if a girl is in her
menstrual cycle, she is considered to have evil spirits around her, and she must be
separated from the rest of the tribe so as to not have the spirits cause trouble for
others(Earhart, p. 307) The age at which girls begin to menstruate is the first sign
that initiation must take place. ?She abstains from eating meat but may eat roots and
drink water. After a few days or maybe a week, the girl appears again, shrouded in new
cloths and paintedO(Earhart, p.307).
The Shashoni boys (out of choice) learn the positives of boasting. Although they donOt
necessarily depend on the Sun Dance as the deciding factor for passing into manhood, it
gives them a chance to be in a position of authority, or power which often is needed in
adulthood. The more enduring, and well-executed dance, the more attractive they look.
It could lead to higher respect, or, in the near future, a good wife It benefits not
only the individual boy however, but the entire pack of boys dancing as well. It makes
them a strong force of men, not boys who hold no authority. The competition makes the
ceremony that much more important. But that is not where it stops; the ritual benefits
the rest of the tribe as well. The boys move from childhood to manhood, and in doing so
take on the positions, and responsibilities of the elderly, which might not be able to
take on those responsibilities in the near future.
The Kurnai see their ritual as something that should not be passed onto anyone other
than the men of that particular clan, or tribe. Such secrecy adds a rather interesting
dimension to the rite. It obviously governs much of the behavior of the men, in that
they learn the meaning of sacredness. Without it they could not affix any importance to
the changes necessary for moving into manhood. The religious nature of manhood would be
lost. As for the rest of the tribe, the women, and young girls, considerable changes
take place in their view of the men. There is a new group of men, with the knowledge of
their sacred ritual, and they are ready to carry on the tradition. The women can confide
in the new initiates that there are men and not boys being the fathers of the future
initiates.
Overall, both initiation rites become a cycle of incorporation into adult life. The
importance of examining these two rites leads us to a better understanding of them. The
ceremonies act as a turning point in the lives of the initiates, and the rest of the
people in each society. The cycle gives the Kurnai a reason to allow the fresh initiates
to initiate others in the future. It gives the sense of how sacred manhood is. The Sun
Dance allows the young boys a chance to see how to take on the responsibilities of
adulthood. It too, like the KurnaiOs initiation, gives the boys a sense of how sacred,
or important adulthood is. Moreover, it gives both societies a reason to move into
adulthood. Both ceremonies have their perspective level of importance, but more
importantly they both work well in giving meaning to each societies incorporation rites.
In conclusion, A.W. Howitt points out in sections of EliadeOs, Primitives to Zen, that
initiations represent the discovery of the sacred(Eliade, p.287). This might mean that
sacred initiations embody what a specific society comprehends as the proper way to
practice religion or possibly the proper way to live. Such statements could easily tie
into what modern society might see as sacred. We donOt question the small things we do
when we change, whether we enter a new business, or graduate from college, or maybe
convert from one religion to another, we just do it. Those small things are what come
with taking on that responsibility, or that move from one position to another. The
ceremony of the
Kurnai and Shashoni give them the right to enter into a new realm living. Such
ceremonies are what drive the Kurnai and the Shashoni to believe that they are entering
adulthood the correct way. Their rituals are what they know as the correct way of moving
into that next stage. If there were no ceremonies to address the movement from one realm
to the next, then there might not be an affixed hype surrounding the passage from
childhood to adulthood. It would occur naturally and that would be that. Initiations are
what societies accept, and understand as what will carry them into their culture, their
understanding of religion, and into their lives.
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