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