Rites of Passage: Special Reference to Ao-Naga Puberty Rites as Markers of Identity

Abstract

Like in any other human society, in traditional Ao-Naga life, puberty is an important phase to be celebrated it as a rite. Ao-Nagas visualize puberty as an indicator to get married and ability to beget children through legitimate marriage. The celebration of puberty rites of the girls differ from person to person depending upon their respective physical appearances. The Ao-Naga society validates maturity more as a cultural construct than exclusively as a biological indicator. The process in Ao-Naga puberty rite includes several aspects to delineate the transit of the girl/boy from childhood to youth. Each aspect is unique and determines the identities of the individuals in their new thresholds as well as a member of the community. The process in Ao-Naga puberty rite includes several aspects to delineate the transit of the girl/boy from childhood to youth. Each aspect is unique and determines the identities of the individuals in their new thresholds as well as a member of the community. So this paper attempts to study the process of the puberty rites of the Ao-Naga boys and girls separately. And also, Van Gennep’s theoretical approach to ‘rites of passage’ is applied in my case study to analyze how Ao-Nagas construct their own self and also as a member of the community.

Keywords

• puberty
• identity
• threshold