Dancing at an Apache girl's sunrise dance

An Apache girl dances in a kneeling position during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation ceremony, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The rites are an enactment of the Apache creation myth and are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood, giving her a long and healthy life. During the rites the girl becomes Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. This particular part of the ceremony symbolises the moment when Changing Woman was impregnated by the sun and gave birth to a son. Behind the girl, who is dressed in buckskin clothes, stands her godmother, and behind her the medicine man and his helpers sing and beat their drums.

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Filename: 4623.jpg
Copyright: Copyright © 2004 Anders Ryman. All rights reserved.
Image Size: 5575x3699 / 13.2MB; American Indian American Indians American Southwest Apache Arizona Changing Woman Dancing Horizontal Native Americans Native North Americans North America Religion Rite of Passage San Carlos Indian Reservation Singing Sunrise Dance USA United States of America adornment adulthood animal hide basket buck-skin buckskin camp dress cane cars cattail ceremony cultural and ethnic dress daybreak decorated decorations drum drums eagle feathers ethnic clothing ethnic group ethnic minority fringed fringes indigenous people jeans kneeling life cycle ceremony longevity maturity minority music music instrument musical instrument musical instruments musician native-americans ornament pollen puberty rite quilt religious sacred shirts skirts small group of people stick sun up sunrise sunrises sunshine teenage girl
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An Apache girl dances in a kneeling position during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation ceremony, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The rites are an enactment of the Apache creation myth and are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood, giving her a long and healthy life. During the rites the girl becomes Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. This particular part of the ceremony symbolises the moment when Changing Woman was impregnated by the sun and gave birth to a son. Behind the girl, who is dressed in buckskin clothes, stands her godmother, and behind her the medicine man and his helpers sing and beat their drums.