World Views Information

Rites Of Passage

Some types of ceremonies appear in almost every culture around the world, although the details vary widely.  These common types include ceremonies for births, deaths, marriages and other rites of passage.  An important rite of passage for First Nations youth was traditionally the transition from child to adult.  The assigns of this passage differed from culture to culture, and between boys and girls.  Female Elders generally describe and guided female rites of passage and male Elders did the same for male rites of passage.

In some cultures, a boy’s transition to manhood was marked by hunting or warfare or sometimes a personal event such as going on a spiritual quest.  During a spiritual quest an individual sought guidance from a guardian spirit.  The rite of passage usually involved a period of a few days in seclusion without food, water or shelter.  The person prayed until a vision was received.  The Dene Tha’ describe a vision as mendayeh wodekeh ,which means “something appearing in front of someone.” Purification ceremonies were held before and after.  In some cultures, elders would later assemble a sacred bundle of objects related to the vision.

In many First Nation cultures, the onset of a girl’s monthly cycle was the event seen to mark her transition to womanhood.  Many cultures recognized the event with important ceremonies.  Among the Plains Cree, a young woman would spend the first four days of her first monthly cycle in isolation with a grandmother.  It was an important time of education and spirituality for the young woman.  When the four days were over, her family would celebrate with a community feast and give-away.