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Cherokee Sunrise Ceremony Essay

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The Apache Sunrise Ceremony is a laborious 4 day and night ceremony that Apache girls partake in after completion of their first menstrual cycle. The Apache Indians, most of whom live on reservations in New Mexico and Arizona, believe that their earliest Apache relative is the ‘White Painted Woman’, that from her came life and the embodiment of earth itself. The Sunrise ceremony honors her spiritual image, and prepares Apache girls as they enter into the new phase of their life; womanhood.

Preparation for the ceremony can begin as early as six months prior to the actual day. Apache girls spend much time studying their heritage and learning the responsibilities and virtues an Apache woman must uphold. Intricate ceremonial dresses are crafted, ritualistic tipi’s are build and food is prepared to serve the vast number of guests that will be in attendance at this sacred ceremony. The family also does the honor of choosing a Godmother, or Medicine Women, that will serve as a beacon of strength and comfort for the girl during the ceremony. She will dance alongside the girl, guiding her through the rituals, and assisting in massage which symbolizes being molded into the White Painted Women; the ultimate precedent of the perfect woman.

Typically, the …show more content…

Their faces are donned with white clay, that is not to be removed and each girl is blessed with cattail pollen; a symbol of fertility. On the first day, the symbolic tipi is constructed to house the rituals, and the medicine man blesses the candidates ceremonial dress. The morning of the second day, the sunrise dance is performed. Dancing is done in unicinte with reciting chants and songs. It is during this dance that the girl is believed to the take on the powers of White Woman, which she then uses in blessing the

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