Empowerment of North American Indian Girls: Ritual Expressions at Puberty - Hardcover

Markstrom, Carol A.

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9780803232570: Empowerment of North American Indian Girls: Ritual Expressions at Puberty
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0803232578 ISBN 13: 9780803232570
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 2008

Synopsis

Empowerment of North American Indian Girls is an examination of coming-of-age-ceremonies for American Indian girls past and present, featuring an in-depth look at Native ideas about human development and puberty. Many North American Indian cultures regard the transition from childhood to adulthood as a pivotal and potentially vulnerable phase of life and have accordingly devised coming-of-age rituals to affirm traditional values and community support for its members. Such rituals are a positive and enabling social force in many modern Native communities whose younger generations are wrestling with substance abuse, mental health problems, suicide, and school dropout.

 

Developmental psychologist Carol A. Markstrom reviews indigenous, historical, and anthropological literatures and conveys the results of her fieldwork to provide descriptive accounts of North American Indian coming-of-age rituals. She gives special attention to the female puberty rituals in four communities: Apache, Navajo, Lakota, and Ojibwa. Of particular interest is the distinctive Apache Sunrise Dance, which is described and analyzed in detail. Also included are American Indian feminist interpretations of menstruation and menstrual taboos, the feminine in cosmology, and the significance of puberty customs and rites for the development of young women.

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About the Author

Carol A. Markstrom is a professor in the Department of Technology, Learning, and Culture in the College of Human Resources and Education at West Virginia University. She is the coauthor of The Adolescent Experience, fourth edition, and Adolescent Life Experiences, third edition, and has authored numerous scholarly works on adolescents and American Indians.

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Publisher
University of Nebraska Press
Publication date
2008
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0803232578
ISBN 13 
9780803232570
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
456
Rating
  • 3.91 out of 5 stars
    11 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780803232761: Empowerment of North American Indian Girls: Ritual Expressions at Puberty

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0803232764 ISBN 13:  9780803232761
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 2010
Softcover