Coming of Age
When do men quit being boys and
start being men? When do women become women? Each ethnicity
has its own practices. Practices that are becoming lost to
modernization or globalization, at least in the cities.
Maybe that is partly why the youth in the cities seem to
have so much less respect for everything including
themselves. Rights of passage are important for
self-esteem. Finding one's place in society is essential
for the society to run smoothly.
The Berabish, Tuaregs of the open desert in northern Mali
have these rights:
Boys, when they reach their sixteenth year, must join a
salt caravan. Once they have completed the
Azalai, accompanied the men to
Taoudenit and back, with all the attendant trials,
walking for 10 or 12 hours a day loading and unloading
the camels etc. They too can be considered men.
Girls are considered women once they have menstruated for
the first time. The girl’s mother is the only one to be
told but everyone else will know the same day for the girl
may now wear the veil, or meulf
that is the
traditional woman’s dress, six yards of fabric wrapped
around the body and over the head. This change in status is
accompanied by a celebration inducing drumming and dancing.
It is quite important as now she is eligible to be married
and men may come seeking her hand.