IHSS Blog 2019-2020

  Miriam (Isabelle) Saxon Mr. Roddy  IHSS September 14, 2020 Muskawama In IHSS class we have been talking a lot about coming of age rituals, however most of the ritals we discuss the ritual I am writing about is a little closer to home. I spend my summers in northern Wisconsin at a camp called Red Pine. It is an all girls sleep away camp. The camp is 78 years old and one of it’s oldest traditions is Muskawama. Muskawama is a day long ceremony that symbolizes the transition from girl to young women. In which you will go through three main ceremonies one at Sunrise, one at Midday, and the last and most important at Sunset. Most people go through it when they're 13 or 14. I went through it last year when I was 14 and my mom went through it at 13 when she was a camper in the 80’ds. Part of the tradition is the mystery surrounding it you don’t get to know what actually happens on Muskawama until you go through it. If you are at the age when you do go through it you are told at the ...

     Bride kidnapping was originally a ritual, then a tradition, and now illegal. It was a ritual surrounding the customs of marriage, where the woman is snatched from the streets and taken away to their captor's family home. there the captor's family will try to convince the "Bride" to wed their son. Authorities recognized this put may young women in danger of domestic violence, rape, and phycological trauma, in 2013 this custom was made illegal. Although made illegal, in rural areas of the country this practice still happens.      In one part of the article, there was a section talking abo ut how women suppressed other women. Many of the cases were not reported or they were retracted because they " fear public shaming for disobedience" and were pressured by other family member s.  Although there are women who might think this way the article also talked about women who don't stand this practice and are finding ways to engage other women in fighting a...

Sara Avalos-Paez Mr.Roddy IHSS 9/12/2020 Dipo Ghana In the Krobos Tribe of Ghana, the coming of age ritual for girls is Dipo. Dipo has changed over the years, because of Christianity, modernization, formal education, and environmental changes. Before Dipo changed the girls had to prepare for a year, this changed because of formal education and teachers did not allow multiple abscesses, it changed to be a few months, to weeks, and now the preparation is for 4 days, with a parade on the fourth day. The preparation for Dipo isn’t the only thing that has changed, some other things that have changed are the age Dipo is performed, the number of people who still do it, and the way that the girls dress during the preparation. Dipo used to be performed by girls who had their first menstrual cycle so that after the ritual they would be ready for marriage and to have sex. If a girl was proven to have a child before the ritual they were punished and banished from the village. The girls that perfo...

  Nora Mayral Boyle Dr. Roddy IHSS 13 September 2020 Cherry Blossom Festival The Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival, generally taking place between the months of March and May, is the ancient Japanese celebration and  tradition of viewing the blossoming cherry blossom trees. In Japan it is known as Hanami, which translates to “viewing flowers”. The origins of this festival lies over 1,000 years ago, inspired by the poems of aristocrats describing these blossoming trees. In current-day Japan, Hanami is a big deal. They drink and eat traditional Japanese meals, and often have picnics underneath the sakura(cherry blossom), making the tradition of something special. ‘The” Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Ueno Park, located in Tokyo, the former grounds of the Kaneiji Temple. The pathways of this park are filled with these cherry blossom trees, usually over 1,000 of them. This seems like a beautiful ritual/ceremony to me. I haven’t experienced or been involved in a festival of the...

 Alex Karni IHSS Mr. Roddy September 13, 2020 En docannibalism  is an ancient ritual that involves eating the flesh of a family member or friend who’s passed away. This ritual is not for survival but instead out of respect. In Papua New Guinea, the Fore tribe have passed down this funeral rite over many generations. They believe that by consuming the flesh of the dead that they can absorb the loved one's wisdom through the ritual. Those who participated had to follow certain protocol; for example, a woman had to eat her brother's brain or the hands of her brother-in-law. Depending on which one they choose symbolized a different attribute. Other areas of the world, such as India, were known to do the same ritual in attempt to gain supernatural powers or immortality. Another is the Wari Tribe from the Amazon, which also practiced endocannibalism. From there, the  spirit could become an animal that would provide food for generations to come....

Baptism has been around for a very long time and billions of people have done it. Many people may have many different definitions of Baptism but it basically boils down to a public display that you take Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. Baptism can be done at any age but is most commonly done to babies as they're the first step into the Christian faith. Different denominations of the Christian faith do Baptisms in different and denominations have even split because of how it is performed. The most common is the sprinkling or pouring of Holy Water on the head of the person getting Baptized as a sign of purification, regeneration and admission to the Christian Church and Christian faith. People may also be fully submerged in water symbolizing their old life being buried and the new life being resurrected in the eyes of God. So why do Christians get baptized? There are many different reasons but the main one is that the Bible commands them too. In the book of Mathew (28:19) it say...

 The "Walk About" ritual is an Aboriginal coming of age ceremony.  It is long and difficult to complete; only males practice this ceremony. The ceremony is one that is highly physical. A boy, who is showing the first signs of puberty and going to be soon seen as an adult in the eyes of everyone, will embark on a six month journey. The ritual itself isn't hard to explain. The boy who is entering manhood has to survive with no human contact as he walks about the land for six months. He must do this before he can return to the tribe. This means he will have to find his own water, hunt his own food, and make his own shelter. He leaves with a loin cloth, his knowledge, and spiritual chants. He is suppose to sing these chants as he walks to connect with the spirits that are to guide him. After going through all this after six months, proves that he is strong enough and is eligible to become a man. Showing that can he survive on his own is the whole ritual. If I were to guess th...