阿帕奇族女孩成人礼.docVIP

阿帕奇族女孩成人礼 　　Beneath White Mountain in New Mexico， the 1）Mescalero Apache reservation prepares for a 2）coming-of-age ritual. Over the span of four days， 13-year-old Dasheena Cochise will pass through ancient tests of strength， endurance and character that will make her a woman. 　　The Mescalero Apache hold the ritual every 4th of July. It’s a 3）grueling 4）ordeal， intended to prepare girls for the trials of womanhood. 　　The family’s most important task is selecting Dasheena’s medicine woman. Zelda Yaza will instruct Dasheena in the ways of traditional Apache womanhood. 　　The four-day ceremony 5）encapsulates the Apache creation story. Dasheena will move through the stages of life-infant， child， adolescent， woman-6）culminating in an all-night dance that will test her endurance. 　　The ritual begins with the rising of the morning star. 　　The ceremony requires Dasheena to live by strict rules. These four days mean little sleep， scant food and the need to set aside emotion. Throughout the ordeal she must wear a face of 7）stoic resolve. 　　Dasheena： I feel very excited and happy. I know I can’t smile， but I’ll try to show it in some way. 　　Before Dasheena joins the other girls， she is blessed， dusted with 8）pollen， the symbol of fertility. 　　The girls start their journey in a sacred 9）teepee built by their male relatives. The basket is filled with pollen and other ceremonial objects. As their ancestors did， the girls run toward the rising sun， circling the basket four times to mark the four stages of life. 　　The fourth and final day brings Dasheena to the 10）cusp of womanhood. She ascends the hill to pray to the mountain spirits for a long and successful life. 　　With darkness near， it’s time to dance beside the ceremonial fire. Dasheena and the other girls will dance all night long， much of the time hidden in the big teepee. 　　More than ten hours later Dasheena is still dancing. 　　The medicine men greet the sun， a signal that the final test is near. 　　The girls