Kwandulukwa Ntu: An African-American Initiation Rite for Girls

Richard Brent Turner

Back

Kwandulukwa Ntu: An African-American Initiation Rite for Girls

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Kwandulukwa Ntu: An African-American Initiation Rite for Girls

Richard Brent Turner

Journal of ritual studies, Vol.9(2), pp.93-108

07/01/1995

View Online

Abstract

This article analyzes the origins and significance of Kwandulukwa Ntu, an African-American female rite of passage conducted at Boston University in the late 1970s. Field observation indicated an eclectic resort to African traditions and the creative use of symbols representing the sufferings of the Atlantic passage and slavery. The rites followed the classic pattern of initiation as described by van Gennep, except that the liminal phase saw no bodily marking, less infliction of physical hardship, and more formal instruction. As in similar invented African-American rituals, the ultimate focus was not just on female maturity but on racial self-definition.

African American culture

African American studies

African Americans

Altars

Black communities

Communities

Gender roles

Mothers

Religious rituals

Rites of passage

Details

Title: Subtitle: Kwandulukwa Ntu: An African-American Initiation Rite for Girls
Creators: Richard Brent Turner
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of ritual studies, Vol.9(2), pp.93-108
ISSN: 0890-1112
Publisher: Department of Religious Studies, University of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Date published: 07/01/1995
Academic Unit: African American Studies; Classics and Religious Studies; International Programs
Record Identifier: 9984398420002771

Metrics

20 Record Views