: Mentawai people are natives to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. These people follow Christianity, but have their own rituals and coming of age ceremonies. The one that I found to be the most interesting is the teeth sharpening ceremony. I was unable to first hand experience this ceremony, or talk to a native, but I watched a video that gave a first hand account of what takes place and did further research into what exactly takes place. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgNWrnMM-F8, http://www.odditycentral.com/videos/indonesian-tribe-believes-chiseled-teeth-make-women-beautiful.html) This tradition is mostly done to women, and is seen as a right of passage to becoming an adult. It is done by taking a chisel, along with a blunt force, to split the teeth into sharp points. This is done without any pain killers and is practiced the same way it has been for hundreds of years. What’s interesting about this ritual, is that many people look down upon it and don’t understand it’s significance. This is the first coming of age ceremony that I have seen much criticism of. The reasoning that the people give to this painful tradition is that their souls will leave them if they are not happy with their bodies. The sharpened teeth are seen as beautiful in the culture. It shows that a women is mature and has made commitments to please their inner spirit. This adds balance to their bodies and adds appeal so they may find a man. This is done at an age where they are deemed ready to find a mate. Furthermore, by doing this ceremony and pleasing the inner spirit, people believe it prolongs death. If the spirit is content, than they will bring positivity to the individual. When I watched a video showing the ceremony, women were in severe pain, but were happy with the end result. The man who did the actual procedure was said to be guided by the spirits. To ease the pain at the end, the woman was given a raw green banana to chew on.
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Rayna VerstandigFor my class, Community and Solitude, I had to have 6 different religious experiences. This blog discusses my experiences. The unifying concept throughout all of my experiences is coming of age. ArchivesCategories |