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  • A dead woman carried on a bier through the narrow streets and alleys to Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation ghat of Varanasi, India. To be cremated in the sacred city of Varanasi means a straight passage to heaven, many Hindus believe.
    4497f.jpg
  • A Dom, an untouchable working at the cremation site, clearing the river Ganges from charcoal and other debris, while also looking for valuables, Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation ghat of Varanasi, India. On the steps lie biers with dead bodies waiting to be cremated. To be cremated in the sacred city of Varanasi means a straight passage to heaven, many Hindus believe.
    4712f.jpg
  • Cremation workers called Dom, and classed as untouchables, clear the river Ganges from charcoal and other debris, while also looking for valuables at Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation site of Varanasi, India. On the steps lie biers with dead bodies waiting to be cremated. To be cremated in the sacred city of Varanasi means a straight passage to heaven, many Hindus believe.
    4713.jpg
  • An Apache girl learns how to make corn bread as part of the preparation for her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. Her mother looks out through the kitchen door. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4579.jpg
  • An Apache girl learns how to make corn bread as part of the preparation for her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4580.jpg
  • An Apache girl wears a buckskin dress at her Sunrise Dance with the symbol of her favourite basketball player Michael Jordan attached, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4559.jpg
  • As part of the preparation for her Sunrise Dance, an Apache girl learns how to make bread from her mother, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. The Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4544.jpg
  • A Sami boy in traditional costume kneels by the altar at a confirmation ceremony in the church of Kautokeino, Norway.  The Sami living in Kautokeino hold confirmations and other life cycle ceremonies at Easter time, after which the reindeer herders move with their herds to the Atlantic coast for summer pasture. The traditional tunic is made of wool and the winter shoes and trousers of reindeer fur. The belt has silver decorations.
    2987.jpg
  • A girl, standing in the cemetery of Oruro, Bolivia, at Todos Santos, holds up a picture with a photograph and the name of her dead father. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, call down the spirit for a three day visit at Todos Santos. On the third day, when the spirit leaves the home, the families go to the cemeteries to decorate the graves and say farewell to the soul of the dead.
    4091.jpg
  • Amerindian woman in hat chews coca leaves on top of a grave during Todos Santos or All Saints Day in Oruro, Bolivia. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, call down the spirit for a three day visit, after which they go to the graveyard to decorate the grave and take farewell. At Todos Santos, the graveyards are therefore crowded with people, who drink alcohol and chew coca leaves while taking farewell of their dead family members.
    4082.jpg
  • A monk shaves the head of a Shan boy during Poy Sang Long, a yearly ceremony at which boys are ordained as novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. The shaving takes place inside the Buddhist temple Wat Hua Wiang. Practically every Shan boy goes through this three-day ceremony sometime between the age of eight and fourteen. After the ordination, the boy spends about one month in a Buddhist monastery and then usually returns to normal life again.
    3975.jpg
  • Procession with young boys dressed up as princes during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. The invisible guardian spirit of the town rides on the horse in front.
    4326.jpg
  • Three boys dressed up as princes in remembrance of the Buddha stand inside a temple during Poy Sang Long, the ordination of novice monks in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    3977.jpg
  • A boy dressed up as a prince rides on the shoulders of an attendant at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    3994.jpg
  • A boy is dressed up in princely clothes in remembrance of the Buddha at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. His traditional headress contains female hair and fresh flowers.
    3984.jpg
  • Boy gets water poured over him after he has been shaved at Poy Sang Long, the ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand
    3976.jpg
  • Relatives dance in the family yard together with boys dressed up as princes during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    4016.jpg
  • Attendants carry boys dressed up as princes on their shoulders at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    3979.jpg
  • A boy with palliative cream applied to his head after it has been shaved at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    3982.jpg
  • A novice monk just after he has been ordained at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination ceremonies in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, in April 2003. The boy still has some makeup left in his face from when he was earlier dressed up as a prince in memory of the Buddha. Practically every Shan boy goes through the Poy Sang Long sometime between the age of eight and fourteen. After the ordination, the boy spends about one month in a Buddhist monastery, and then he usually returns to normal life again.
    4022.jpg
  • On the final day of the Poy Sang Long, the ordination of novice monks, family members help the boys put on their orange robes, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
    4021.jpg
  • The five different princely jackets of a Shan boy, which he will wear during the three days of Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. The jackets are worn in memory of the Buddha.
    3983.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her helper, both dressed in buckskin dresses, dance at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl holds a cane that symbolises longevity. Behind her the medicine man and drummers sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants. The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4534.jpg
  • A Group of Apache Indians dance at a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation ceremony of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. Behind the girl, who is dressed in buckskin clothes, the medicine man and his helpers sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4557.jpg
  • Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation ghat of Varanasi, India, where cremation pyres are burning 24 hours a day. The work at the cremation ghat is carried out by the Doms, traditionally looked upon as untouchables. The ghat leads down to the sacred River Ganges. To be cremated in the holy city of Varanasi means a straight passage to heaven, many Hindus believe.
    4499f.jpg
  • Men piling up firewood for the funeral pyres at Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation ghat of Varanasi. India. The work at the cremation ghat is carried out by the Doms, traditionally looked upon as untouchables. To be cremated in the sacred city of Varanasi means a straight passage to heaven, many Hindus believe.
    4498f.jpg
  • An Apache girl is massaged by her godmother during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. Behind the girl and the godmother the medicine man and his assistants sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants, and the purpose of the massage is to shape the girl into a grown woman with a strong body. The rite is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4564.jpg
  • A mountain spirit (gaan) or crown dancer dances during a Sunrise Dance on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4616.jpg
  • An Apache girl dressed in buckskin dress dances at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl holds a cane that symbolises longevity. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4532.jpg
  • In the early morning of the first day of her Sunrise Dance an Apache girl and her assistant (a friend who has already gone through the ceremony herself) bake four different kinds of corn bread on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girls are dressed in camp dresses. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4554.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her godfather, who sprinkles sacred white clay around him as a blessing, dance with mountain spirits (gaan) or crown dancers during a Sunrise Dance on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4610.jpg
  • A Mountain Spirit (Gaan) or Crown Dancer dances inside a ceremonial tepee and in front of an Apache girl during her Sunrise Dance, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4619.jpg
  • A basket filled with candy, maize and money is poured over an Apache girl at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. This symbolises good luck and material wealth. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4567.jpg
  • A man holds a basket that contains cigarettes and chewing-gums at a Sunrise Dance on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4558.jpg
  • The participants in a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA, grab as much as they can of the snacks and sweets and drinks that have been placed in along row on the ground. This symbolises good luck and material wealth. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4566.jpg
  • A Brahman filing the teeth of a young man at a traditional tooth-filing ceremony in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, while female relatives hold the boy's arms and shoulder. The ceremony is a puberty rite, done after the girl has had her first menstruation or the boy's voice has broken, but can be saved until later in life, sometimes until the time of ones wedding. The six front teeth in the upper jaw are filed down to an even row, the purpose of which is to lessen six human vices, e g anger and sexual desire. Another reason is to make one look less like a fanged demon, thereby securing ones entry into the land of the dead after cremation. The boy wears ceremonial brocade clothing.
    2963.jpg
  • On the second day of her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, an Apache girl and her two cousins wait for the evening dance to start, the San Carlos Indian Reservation, Arizona, USA. The girls are dressed in buckskin dresses. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4613.jpg
  • After six hours of continuous dancing at a Sunrise Dance, an Apache girl's first menstruation rite, the girl rests in camp together with her helper and a cousin on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl is covered with sacred yellow pollen from the cattail plant, which has been applied as a blessing by the medicine man and the relatives. The Sunrise Dance is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4570.jpg
  • An Apache girl drinks water through a straw at her Sunrise Dance, a frist menstruation rite,  on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA.  Behind the girl, who is dressed in buckskin clothes, the medicine man and his helpers, who sing and beat their drums during the dance, are having a rest. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4563.jpg
  • An Apache medicine man, surrounded by his assistans, sings and beats his drum at a Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4640.jpg
  • In preparation for a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, the family of the girl's godparents butcher a cow on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4552.jpg
  • An Apache woman makes the buckskin dress that her niece  will wear during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. On the wall hangs a painting of an Apache Crown Dancer or Mountain Spirit. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4549.jpg
  • An Apache girl covered in sacred white clay and corn meal at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The painting of the girl with the white clay is both a blessing and an enactment of certain parts of the Apache creation myth. During the rites the girl becomes Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4611.jpg
  • After six hours of continuous dancing at a Sunrise Dance, an Apache girl's first menstruation rite, the girl rests in camp on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl is covered with sacred yellow pollen from the cattail plant, which has been applied as a blessing by the medicine man and the relatives. The Sunrise Dance is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4571.jpg
  • An Apache girl dances with her godmother and godfather at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The three are covered with sacred yellow pollen from the cattail plant, which has been applied as a blessing by the medicine man and the relatives. The Sunrise Dance is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4569.jpg
  • An Apache girl dances with her godmother and godfather at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The three are covered with sacred yellow pollen from the cattail plant, which has been applied as a blessing by the medicine man and the relatives. The Sunrise Dance is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4568.jpg
  • Members of an Apache girl's family  (two sisters, father, mother, brother and her grandmother) dance during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The women are dressed in camp dresses. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4622.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her helper, both dressed in buckskin dresses, dance at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl holds a cane that symbolises longevity. Behind her the medicine man and drummers sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4535.jpg
  • The medicine man holds a speech during an Apache girl's Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona, USA. The Apache girl and her godmother stands in front of the wickiup in which the girl sleeps during the ceremony. The girl is equiped with various ritual objects, e g a straw for drinking, a peg with which to scratch herself, a cane symbolising lonevity and an abalone shell attached to her forehead symbolising Changing Woman, a mythical female figure. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4555.jpg
  • An Apache girls family have built a temporary camp during her Sunrise Dance at the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona, USA. In the camp the family live and eat together with the girl. The Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4553.jpg
  • An Apache girl uses a straw to drink water from a dipper during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl is covered in sacred white clay and corn meal that has been applied both as a blessing and as an enactment of certain parts of the Apache creation myth. During the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4612.jpg
  • A Mountain Spirit (Gaan) or Crown Dancer dances inside a ceremonial tepee and in front of an Apache girl during her Sunrise Dance, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. Behind the girl the medicine man and his helpers sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4618.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her godfather dance inside a ceremonial tepee, while mountain spirits (gaan) or crown dancers dance around it, during a Sunrise Dance held on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4608.jpg
  • Mountain Spirits (Gaan) or Crown Dancers dance beside a big bonfire at night during an Apache Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4606.jpg
  • Mountain spirits dance together with Apache girls, all dressed in buckskin clothes, beside a big bonfire at night during a Sunrise Dance on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The clown, in white hood, swings a bull-roarer in the air. The Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4614.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her helper, both dressed in buckskin dresses, dance at the girl's Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Indian Reservation, Arizona, USA. The girl holds a cane that symbolises longevity. Behind her the medicine man and drummers sing and beat their drums. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
    4531.jpg
  • An Apache girl and her relatives visit the medicine man to give him gifts of food and bread on the first day of the girl's Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, the San Carlos Indian Reservation, Arizona, USA. When they arrive the medicine man and his helpers are inside a sweat lodge, praying and singing sacred songs. The Sunrise Dance is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4605.jpg
  • An Apache woman on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA, makes the traditional buckskin dress for her niece's Sunrise Dance and attaches to it a symbol representing Michael Jordan. The girl plays basketball and Michael Jordan is her favourite player. The Sunrise Dance is the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants
    4600.jpg
  • Dances in the godparent's camp on the last day of a Sunrise Dance,  the first menstruaton rite of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4586.jpg
  • Apache Indians dance during a Sun Rise Dance, an Apache girl’s first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The women are dressed in camp dresses. Behind the long row of cartons filled with snacks and drinks, symbolising a life without material want, the girl herself dances dressed in buckskin clothes. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life.
    4565.jpg
  • An Apache girl dances together with four other girls at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite,  on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girls are all dressed in traditional buckskin clothes. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4604.jpg
  • A group of Apache males drum and sing at a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girl and her helper, both dressed in buckskin clothes, dance to the left. She holds a cane that symbolises longevity. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache Indians. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The ceremony is an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are also  supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4541.jpg
  • An Apache girl dressed in buckskin clothes dances in a kneeling positon at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, the San Carlos Indian Reservation, Arizona, USA. During the ceremony the girl ‘becomes’ Changing Woman, the mythical founder of the Apache Tribe, and this part of the ceremony is an enactment of when Changing Woman was impregnated by the sun and gave birth to a son.  Behind the girl stands her godmother and behind her the medicine man and his assistants sing and beat their drums.
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  • An Apache girl is painted white with sacred clay and corn meal during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. She is painted by a Mountain Spirit (Gaan) or Crown Dancer, and the staff in her hand symbolises longevity. The painting of the girl is both a blessing and an enactment of certain parts of the Apache creation myth. During the rites the girl becomes Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
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  • A 10-year old Newar girl, dressed in school uniform, sits outside her family's house in Kathamndu, Nepal. She has just come home from school, and is waiting to begin her bahra ceremony, a mock first-menstruation rite, during which she will be secluded in a room for twelve days. Her mother and female relatives and friends may enter the room, but no male can go inside and its windows will be covered so that the sun cannot shine in.
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  • An Apache girl is painted white with sacred clay and corn meal during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The painting of the girl is both a blessing and an enactment of certain parts of the Apache creation myth. During the rites the girl becomes Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
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  • An Apache girl, dressed in buckskin dress, runs during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. She runs four times, each time a little bit longer. This symbolises the four stages of life. Close behind her godmother and relatives  follow, the women dressed in camp dresses. The food, snacks and drinks on the ground symbolise a life without material want. The Sunrise Dance is supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life. The ceremony is also an enactment of the Apache creation myth and during the rites the girl ’becomes‘ Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
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  • Apache Indians dance at a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation ceremony of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. Behind the girl, who is dressed in buckskin clothes, the medicine man and his helpers sing and beat their drums. The long row of cartons filled with snacks and drinks, in front of the girl, symbolises a life without material want. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life. During the rites the girl also becomes Changing Woman, a mythical female figure, and comes into possession of her healing powers.
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  • Apache girls dressed in camp dresses and moccasins sit on the platform of a pickup truck during a Sun Rise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA.
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  • An Apache girl dances in a kneeling position during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation ceremony, on the San Carlos Indian Reservation, 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.
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  • A wickiup used by an Apache girl during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The Sunrise Dance is the most important ceremony of the Apache. It is held during the summer, within one year after the girl has had her first menstruation, and lasts for four days. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
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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.
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  • Sami boys in traditional costume kneel while  a priest bless them at their confirmation ceremony in the church of Kautokeino, Norway. The Sami living in Kautokeino hold confirmations and other life cycle ceremonies at Easter time, after which the reindeer herders move with their herds to the Atlantic coast for summer pasture. The traditional tunics are made of wool and the winter shoes and trousers of reindeer fur. The belts have silver decorations.
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  • Apache Indians dance at a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation ceremony of an Apache girl, ton the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. The girls herself dances in a kneeling position. During the ceremony the girl ‘becomes’ Changing Woman, the mythical founder of the Apache Tribe, and this part of the ceremony is an enactment of when Changing Woman was impregnated by the sun and gave birth to a son. Behind the girl stands her godmother and behind her the medicine man  and his assistants sing and beat their drums. The long row of cartons filled with snacks and drinks in front of the girl symbolises a life without material wants. The rites are supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life.
    4561.jpg
  • A family calls down the spirit of a dead family member with the help of incense at Todos Santos or All Saints Day in Oruro, Bolivia. An altar has been built at home, and it is the father of the dead man who kneels with the incense in front of it. Beside him kneels the widow, and to the right stands the mother. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, build a shrine at home at Todos Santos, decorating it with religious symbols as well as a picture of the deceased and food and drink that he or she liked, and then call down the spirit for a three day visit. During the spirit’s visit, the family and friends chew coca leaves, drink alcohol and eat food together.
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  • Two boys pray in front of a grave during Todos Santos, Bolivia. They are afterwards rewarded with bread and biscuits by the family of the deceased. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, call down the spirit for a three day visit, after which they go to the graveyard to decorate the grave and take farewell of their dead family member.
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  • A girl and her family in Oruro, Bolivia, buy bread with which to decorate the shrine that they will build at Todos Santo for her dead father who died two years before. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, build a shrine at home at Todos Santos, decorating it with religious symbols as well as a picture of the deceased and food and drink that he or she liked, and then call down the spirit for a three day visit. The bread is a particularly important type of decoration. There are pieces of bread shaped like human beings, representing the dead, and there are also pieces in the shape of various old Inca symbols such as the sun and the moon.
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  • Bread figurines representing dead family members for sale at Todos Santos in Oruro, Bolivia. In the Altiplano of Bolivia, it is customary that a family, in which there has been a death within the last three years, build a shrine at home at Todos Santos, decorating it with religious symbols as well as a picture of the deceased and food and drink that he or she liked, and then call down the spirit for a three day visit. The bread is particularly important. There are pieces of bread shaped like human beings, representing the dead, and there are also pieces with the shape of various old Inca symbols such as the sun and the moon.
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  • An Apache mother and daguhter in intimate conversation at a meal break during a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation rite of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. They are both dressed in camp dresses.
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  • Members of her husbands family dance for a young mother and present her with gifts when she emerges and shows hereself at the end of her first childbirth ritual. Palau, Micronesia, in February, 2005. For five days prior to this coming-out ceremony, the young mother has twice daily been given hot cleansing baths by a medicine woman. Every Palauan woman goes through a first childbirth ritual, a ngasech, two to three months after giving birth for the first time. The grass skirt which this woman is wearing is made of wool.
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  • A medicine woman gives a young mother a hot medicinal bath during her ngasech, her first childbirth ceremony, in Palau, Micronesia. The mother has been anointed with coconut oil and yellow turmeric and the water is thrown at her with a cup made of a coconut shell. The purpose of the bath is to heal her skin, remove stretch marks and blemishes, and also to clean the inside of her private parts. Practically every Palauan woman goes through the ngasech ceremony, begun one to three months after she has given birth to her first child. The ceremony consists of hot baths, taken twice daily for five to ten days, depending on the clan of the new mother, and then a sweat bath on the day of her coming out ceremony when she is dressed up and shown to the family of the father of her child.
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  • On the final day of her ngasech, the traditional first childbirth ceremony, a young mother in Palau, Micronesia, is dressed up and anointed with cocnut oil and turmeric by a medicine woman. Practically every Palauan woman goes through the ngasech ceremony, begun one to three months after she has given birth to her first child. The ceremony consists of hot baths, taken twice daily for five to ten days, depending on the clan of the new mother, and then a sweat bath on the day of her coming out ceremony when she is dressed up and shown to the family of the father of her child. The purpose of the baths is to heal her skin, remove stretch marks and blemishes, and also to clean the inside of her private parts.
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  • Dani women engaging in a ritual mud battle during a girl's hotaly, her first menstruation ceremony, in the Baliem Valley, Papua Region, Indonesia. The mud battle takes place after a night of singing and dancing in the cooking house of the settlement where the girl lives.
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  • A happy couple embracing each other after just having been married at a drive-thru wedding at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. They are standing in the sunroof of a rented Limousine and the bride is holding the marriage certificate. They groom is an immigrant from Nepal. The wedding industry is the third largest in Las Vegas after gambling and entertainment.
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  • Apache Indians dance at a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruation ceremony of an Apache girl, the San Carlos Indian Reservation, Arizona, USA. The women are dressed in camp dresses.
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  • A mother nurses her baby daughter during a break from one of the many hot baths required for her ngasech, the traditional ceremony that all women in Palau undergo after having given birth for the first time. Palau, Micronesia, in February, 2005.
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  • A mother nurses her baby daughter during a break from one of the many hot baths required for her ngasech, the traditional ceremony that all women in Palau undergo after having given birth for the first time. Palau, Micronesia, in February, 2005.
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  • A medicine woman sorts the herbs for a steam bath that she will administer to a young mother who has given birth for the first time. Palau, Micronesia, in February, 2005. The bath is part of the ngasech, the traditional ceremony that all women in Palau undergo after having given birth for the first time.
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  • Two cousins dressed up as princes and their attendants leave the house of a relative during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
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  • Attendants dance with boys dressed up as princes on their shoulders on their way to the house of some relatives during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. One of the relatives throws rice on them as a blessing.
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  • Attendants dance and carry boys dressed up as princes on their shoulders at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
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  • In rememberance of the Buddha, family members dress a boy in princely clothes inside a temple during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
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  • On the final day of the Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, a monk passes the orange shirt over the head of a boy, a signal that he has become a novice monk and may now put on the rest of his orange robes, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003.
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  • Boys dressed in princely clothes prostrate themselves and show respect to monks inside Wat  Hua Wiang at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. The monks are holding the orange robes that the boys will wear when they have become novice monks. The princely clothing is worn in memory of the Buddha who was a prince before becoming a monk. Practically every Shan boy goes through this ceremony sometime between the age of eight and fourteen. After the ordination, the boy spends about one month in a Buddhist monastery and then usually returns to normal life again.
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  • An attendant carries a boy dressed up as a prince down the stairs of his home after a break in the ordination ceremonies, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. The boy takes part in the Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks.
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  • Procession with young boys dressed up as princes during Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. April 2003. On the horse in front rides the invisible guardian spirit of the town.
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  • A small Shan orchestra plays in a temple at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
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  • Boys pose for photgraphs after they have been dressed up as princes at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks in Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
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  • Two cousins about to become novice monks pose for a photograph with their families during Poy Sang Long, the ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
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  • Attendants dance with boys dressed up as princes on their shoulders at Poy Sang Long, the yearly ordination of novice monks, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
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Anders Ryman

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