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  • Xhosa male initiates at a homecoming ritual celebrating their return after one month in seclusion. December 2006 in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. They have received turbans to cover their shaven heads and have had red ochre mixed with butter – a symbol of masculinity – applied to their skin. The traditional Xhosa male initiation, which transforms the teenager into an adult man, starts with circumcision. The initiate then spends about a month in an initiation camp, away from settled areas.
    5446.jpg
  • Sisters and female cousins of a young Hamar man who will to perform the bull jump, a ritual making him eligible for marriage, show their devotion to him by dancing and singing about their excitement about his forth-coming jump in South Omo, Ethiopia. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5402.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiates dancing and singing beside a fire the night before returning home after one month in seclusion in a special initiation camp in Knysna, South Africa, in December 2006. The boys are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, after which they will be accepted as men by the Xhosa society. They have been circumcised, and their faces are painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5435.jpg
  • Young Xhosa initiates, who spend about a month together in a special initiation camp, play traditional games with their guardian in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in December, 2006. The initiates go through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms them into adult men. They have been circumcised, and they wear white body paint to ward off attacks by witches.
    5442.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiates light a fire, fuelled by car tires, around which they will dance before returning home after one month in seclusion in a special initiation camp. December 2006 in Knysna, South Africa. The boys are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite. They have been circumcised, and their faces are painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5434.jpg
  • Two young Xhosa male initiates, who have just returned home as men after one month of seclusion, are having their faces painted red by their guardian and teacher in Khayalethu South Township, Knysna, South Africa, in December, 2006. As initiates they were first circumcised, and they then spent one month in a special initiation camp, away from the normal living areas. For one week they will now wear red facial paint, a turban, long trousers, a shirt and a jacket, all signs that they have become men. When the week is over, the turban will be changed for a cap, which will then be worn for another six months.
    5439.jpg
  • Friends join a Jewish bat mitzvah girl in party games in New Jersey, USA. She belongs to a Reform Jewish synagogue, where Sabbath observance rules are less strict than among Conservative or Orthodox congregations, and her reception is held straight after the synagogue ceremony.
    5486.jpg
  • A group of young Xhosa initiates in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in December, 2006. Clad in blankets and with their faces painted white to ward off witches, they spend more than a month together living outside their communities. After the initiation period is over, and their circumcision wounds have healed, they return home as real men.
    5441f.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiation camp in a small forest area just outside the township Khayalethu South in Knysna, South Africa, in December, 2006. The young initiates, who are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, have been cricumcised and are now spending a month in seclusion in a special initiation camp. Their faces have been painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5429.jpg
  • An Uru Murato boy plays the panpipes outside a traditional earthen house in Llapallapani Village, Lago Poopo, the Altiplano, Bolivia.
    3669.jpg
  • A young Xhosa initiate, going through his homecoming ritual after a month in seclusion, is swathed in a blanket and holds a stick that has been blackened by the smoke in the initiation hut. December 2006 in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. He keeps the stick for the rest of his life as proof that he has attained manhood. The traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms the teenager into an adult man, starts with circumcision. The initiates then spend about a month in a special initiation camp, away from settled areas.
    5444.jpg
  • A Jewish girl performs her bat mitzvah, her coming of age ceremony, at Temple Avoda, a Reform synagogue, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA. The girl carries the holy Torah scrolls through the synagogue  after reading extracts to the congregation. Jewish tradition dictates that a girl comes of age at twelve, though in Reform and Conservative Jewish congregations they usually become bat mitzvahs at thirteen, the same age as boys.
    5479.jpg
  • Guided by her rabbi a Jewish girl practices reading from the Torah, the five books of Moses, in preparation for her bat mitzvah, her coming of age ceremony, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA. Jewish tradition dictates that a girl comes of age at twelve, though in Reform and Conservative Jewish congregations they usually become bat mitzvahs at thirteen, the same age as boys.
    5480.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
  • After giving her a prayer shawl and blessing, the rabbi talks to a Jewish girl before she goes through her bat mitzvah, her coming-of-age ritual, at her Reform Jewish synagogue in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA. After this she will enter the synagogue hall to read extracts from the Torah, the holy scriptures, to the congregation. Jewish tradition dictates that a girl comes of age at twelve, though in Reform and Conservative Jewish congregations they usually become bat mitzvahs at thirteen, the same age as boys.
    5481.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
  • Two Roma boys pose for a portrait in the all-Roma village of Poiana Negustiorului in Bacau County, Romania.
    ARyman_20150907_161010.jpg
  • An Apache girl, dressed in buckskin dress, runs during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, the San Carlos Apache Reservation, 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.
    4538.jpg
  • An Apache girl plays basketball in the back yard of her home in Bylas, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004.
    4583.jpg
  • An Apache girl puts on her camp dress and moccasins in her home on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004.
    4576.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 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Jewish boys wearing kippah, or scullcap, during a girl's bat mitzvah, her coming-of-age ritual, at Temple Avoda, a Reform synagogue, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA.
    5487.jpg
  • An Apache girl dressed in camp dress on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004.
    4577.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
  • 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
  • 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, 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.
    4603.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 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.
    4625.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
  • 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 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.
    4542.jpg
  • An Apache girl dressed in  camp dress and moccasins on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004.
    4543.jpg
  • An Apache girl puts on her camp dress and moccasins in her home on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. Her sister helps her with the moccasins.
    4575.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
  • 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
  • An Apache girl sits together with her sister in the sister's bedroom on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA.
    4574.jpg
  • 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.
    4584.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
  • 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
  • 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 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.
    4560.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
  • 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
  • Two Roma brothers with their family's two horses in the all-Roma village of Poiana Negustiorului in Bacau County, Romania. The younger brother sits bareback on his horse.
    ARyman_20150907_163921.jpg
  • A Kombai boy eats fresh marrow from a palm tree in Papua, Indonesia. September 2000. In the background a man cuts more marrow from the tree with a stone axe. The Kombai are a so-called treehouse people who build their homes high up in the trees.
    3018.jpg
  • At the end of a Sunrise Dance, the first menstruaton rite of an Apache girl, on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA, a caravan of pickups loaded with gifts travel from the camp of the family of the girl to the camp of her godparents. Girls dressed in camp dress and moccasins sit on the platform of the last pickup. 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.
    4585.jpg
  • An Apache girl together with her godmother and helper at her Sunrise Dance on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA. As a blessing, and an enactment of part of the Apache creation myth, the girl has been painted with white clay mixed with sacred corn meal. 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. 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.
    4621.jpg
  • An Apache girl plays basketball in the back yard of her home in Bylas, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004.
    4582.jpg
  • A portrait from behind of an Apache girl with long hair on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004. The girl is dressed in camp dress and moccasins.
    4578.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 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.
    5040.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
  • 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
  • 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.
    4562.jpg
  • 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.
    4623.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 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 and her helper, both dressed in buckskin clothes, dance at the girl's Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, 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.
    4533.jpg
  • An Apache girl is painted white with sacred clay and corn meal during her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona, USA. She is painted by a Mountain Spirit 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 also supposed to prepare the girl for adulthood and to give her a long and healthy life without material wants.
    4536.jpg
  • An Apache girl sits together with her grandmother in their livingroom on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, USA. June 2004.
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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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  • 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.
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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 Reservation, Arizona, USA. She is painted by a Mountain Spirit (Gaan) or Crown Dancer, and the staff in her hand symbolises longevity. Other Crown Dancers dance around her, and beside her dances her godfather. 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 clothes dances in a kneeling positon at her Sunrise Dance, a first menstruation rite, the San Carlos Apache 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 (third from right) 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 Reservation, Arizona, USA. She is painted by a Mountain Spirit (Gaan) or Crown Dancer, and the staff in her hand symbolises longevity. Other Crown Dancers dance around her, and beside her dances her godfather. 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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  • Without looking back, Xhosa initiates leave the initiation camp, where they have spent about a month in seclusion. December 2006 in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The camp is set on fire after their departure as a symbolic farewell to childhood. The traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms the teenager into an adult man, starts with circumcision. The initiates then spend about a month in a special initiation camp, away from settled areas.
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Anders Ryman

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