spirit of the warrior

Indigenous people's rites of passage to self-sovereignty

I am often drawn and inspired by indigenous peoples' ways of life and their rites of passage. At times, it seems that our Western culture lacks the in-depth ritualistic regalia that other indigenous cultures find meaningful and essential to their survival to preserve and protect their customs and beliefs. For me, these ceremonial rituals hold a sense of self-sovereignty, beauty and sacrifice.

However, to most of us in the West, it can be unsettling to witness these people willing to undergo, at times, agonizing and painful experiences in order to achieve their great visions for themselves and for their communities. For example, the Maori people will subject themselves to receiving excruciatingly painful tattoos, known as ta moko. This is an ancient technique where knives and chisels are used to stretch and make deep cuts in the skin. Through this laborious method, ink is then tapped into the exposed flesh to create the tattoo. These tattoos represent certain attributes, imbued with the natural spirits of the fauna and flora native to their land and to their origin stories.

For the Polynesian people, men wear headdresses made from banana leaves to signify their status in their community. In the Samoan culture, women weave baskets and ceremonial regalia for upcoming celebrations and rites of passage initiatives. Time-consuming and tedious, these women painstakingly weave each reed to create various motifs. Using traditional dyes from nature, they create intricate woven garments.

These indigenous people have a deep reverence  for the natural world and this is also reflected within themselves and to the rest of their communities. My hope is that we can also find that sense of endurance, strength and resiliency that these indigenous cultures have upheld for thousands of years. May we live to see these cultures, now and in the future to come.