ANTROPOLOGY: Initiation rites- tribal culture.?

Question

I am supposed to be examining the initiation rites of a specific tribal culture somewhere in the world.

Can someone give me ideas of tribal cultures ?

Can anyone give me some initiation rites and if you know what country that is from, can you please name it ??

Anything would be helpfull ! THANKS : )

Answer 1

Tribal Cultures and Initiation Rites, wow, that's a huge topic.  If your are somewhere in the "New World" then you have the opportunity of contacting any one of hundreds of Native American groups.  Some of the most studied in the Southwest are the Navajo and Pueblo people, for example.  Rites of initiation include:  membership into clans or societies, into womanhood and manhood, some are work specific such as hunting or healing.

Tribal cultures exist all around the world.  Here's my suggestion:  pick an initiation ritual you want to study.  Then search for work that has been done on that topic.  There are many seminal anthropological works out there to help that project along.

Vince, MA, BA Anthropology

Answer 2

In some cultures they perform gential mutilation as a rite of becoming a certain age, this is a protection of some kind i think virginity. I think this is africa. There is also some such rits performed on boys in africa as a sign of becming a man.

Answer 3

Study the Khoisian people in Africa.

Or the nacirema but they are very scary.  I'm not sure if the nacirema are real, or where they live. But I heard about them once.

Answer 4

try watching Tabboo: Rites of Initiation on National Geographic. it's pretty awesome. be careful, tho, it can get pretty graphic.