Initiation

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New monks of Kriya Yoga are renamed by their guru during the three-day initiation ceremony in Amarkantak, Annupur, India. Monks Initiation (26392071260).jpg
New monks of Kriya Yoga are renamed by their guru during the three-day initiation ceremony in Amarkantak, Annupur, India.

Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation in which the initiate is 'reborn' into a new role. Examples of initiation ceremonies might include Christian baptism or confirmation, Jewish bar or bat mitzvah, acceptance into a fraternal organization, secret society or religious order, or graduation from school or recruit training. A person taking the initiation ceremony in traditional rites, such as those depicted in these pictures, is called an initiate.

Contents

Characteristics

William Ian Miller notes the role of ritual humiliation in comic ordering and testing. [1]

Mircea Eliade discussed initiation as a principal religious act by classical or traditional societies. [2] He defined initiation as "a basic change in existential condition", which liberates man from profane time and history. "Initiation recapitulates the sacred history of the world. And through this recapitulation, the whole world is sanctified anew... [the initiand] can perceive the world as a sacred work, a creation of the Gods."

Eliade differentiates between types of initiations in two ways: types and functions.

Reasons for and functions

Types

The Okipa ceremony was a test for young Mandan men to prove themselves as warriors. The ceremony as witnessed by George Catlin, circa 1835 George Catlin - The Cutting Scene, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony - Google Art Project.jpg
The Okipa ceremony was a test for young Mandan men to prove themselves as warriors. The ceremony as witnessed by George Catlin, circa 1835

These can be broken into two types:

Psychological

In the study of certain social forms of initiation, such as hazing in college fraternities and sororities, laboratory experiments in psychology suggest that severe initiations produce cognitive dissonance. [3] Dissonance is then thought to produce feelings of strong group attraction among initiates after the experience, because they want to justify the effort used. [4]

Rewards during initiations have important consequences in that initiates who feel more rewarded express stronger group identity. [5] As well as group attraction, initiations can also produce conformity among new members. [6] Psychology experiments have also shown that initiations increase feelings of affiliation. [7]

Examples

Religious and spiritual

Freemasonry initiation. 18th century Freimaurer Initiation.jpg
Freemasonry initiation. 18th century

A spiritual initiation rite normally implies a shepherding process where those who are at a higher level guide the initiate through a process of greater exposure of knowledge. This may include the revelation of secrets, hence the term secret society for such organizations, usually reserved for those at the higher level of understanding. One famous historical example is the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece, thought to go back to at least the Mycenaean period or "Bronze Age".

In the context of ritual magic and esotericism, an initiation is considered to cause a fundamental process of change to begin within the person being initiated and its "evolution operates within both the material world and the spiritual world". [8] The person conducting the initiation (the initiator), being in possession of a certain power or state of being, transfers this power or state to the person being initiated. Thus the concept of initiation is similar to that of apostolic succession. The initiation process is often likened to a simultaneous death and rebirth, because as well as being a beginning it also implies an ending as existence on one level drops away in an ascension to the next. Initiation is a key component of Judaism, Sufism and Shiism, Vaishnavism, Sant Mat, Surat Shabd Yoga, Vajrayana Buddhism, Wicca, and similar religious gnostic traditions. It denotes acceptance by the Guru and also implies that the Chela (student or disciple) agrees to the requirements (such as living an ethical lifestyle, meditating, etc.)

One of the most recognized religious initiation rites is Baptism within Christianity. Christian Baptism is seen as both part of the individual's faith and conversion as well as their initiation into the Church. [9]

In the modern version of the Roman religion, some of the communities use a form of the rite of Aries described in the book Introduction to Magic, by Julius Evola. This rite is also used by the Brotherhood of Myriam albeit with some minor differences. The rite symbolises the rebirth of the soul in spring in accordance with the cosmic and natural rhythms and corresponds to the Christian easter, which is claimed to be a derivate of the rite of Aries. [10]

In the book Pietas: An Introduction to Roman Traditionalism [11] The author makes the claim that the Rite of Aries, corresponds to the ancient Minvervalia where the young Romans would go through their initiation and be introduced to the public cult.

Trade union

In unionised organizations, the "initiation" is typically no more than a brief familiarization with basic procedures and the provision of a copy of the appropriate collective bargaining agreement that governs the work performed by members of the union. Some unions also charge a one-time initiation fee, after which the joining person is officially deemed to be a member in good standing.

Equator crossing ceremony on Empress of Australia, August 1941 'crossing the Line Ceremony' on Board the Troop Transport Ss Empress of Australia, on An African Troop Convoy, August 1941 A5176.jpg
Equator crossing ceremony on Empress of Australia , August 1941

Some communities on board a military vessel and also of military soldiers tend to form a closed 'family' which absorbs in members, who are often formally accepted, generally after a form of trial or hazing.

In addition, there can be similar rites of passages associated with parts of naval and military life, which do not constitute true initiations as the participants are already and remain members of the same community. One such rite is associated with crossing the equator on board a naval ship, but it can even be taken by passengers on board a cruise liner, who are not and do not become members of anything but the so-called "equator crossing club". Another form, "Kissing the Royal Belly" or "Royal Baby", calls for initiates to kneel before a senior member of the crew, who wears a mock diaper. This "Baby" usually has a huge stomach covered with greasy materials ranging from cooking oil to mustard, shaving cream, eggs, and oysters. Junior sailors must lick the Baby's navel area, while the "baby" grabs and shakes their head to better smear the goo onto their faces. [12]

Gang

Gangs often require new members to commit crimes before accepting them as part of the gang. [13] [14] [15] New members may be physically beaten by fellow gang members to demonstrate their courage, also known as "beat-in" or "jump-in", which occasionally results in a fatality. [13] [16] One study indicates that young people are more likely to be hurt in gang initiation than they are by refusing to join. [17] Female members may be required to have sex with male members as a form of initiation, also known as "sex in", though they may also be "jumped-in" like their male counterparts. One study shows that female members who were "sexed-in" as part of gang initiation were thereafter viewed with lower respect than those that were "jumped-in", even when promised they would become full-fledged members. [18] Another study found that sexed-in members face greater risks of sexual exploitation and abuse by fellow male members. [19]

Tribal

This hat would only have been worn by initiates to Kindi, the highest level of Bwami. Tail hair of an elephant, a metaphor for Kindi, crowns the hat. European-made buttons began to replace cowrie shells as prestige items on such Bwami paraphernalia as the Western presence grew in eastern Congo in the early twentieth century Brooklyn Museum 2011.3.1 Bwami Hat for Kindi Level.jpg
This hat would only have been worn by initiates to Kindi, the highest level of Bwami. Tail hair of an elephant, a metaphor for Kindi, crowns the hat. European-made buttons began to replace cowrie shells as prestige items on such Bwami paraphernalia as the Western presence grew in eastern Congo in the early twentieth century

Tribes often have initiations. The initiation done in the Bapedi tribe of South Africa is normally regarded as a stage where a boy is to be taught manhood and a girl to be taught womanhood. In many African tribes, initiation involves circumcision/genital mutilation of males and sometimes circumcision/genital mutilation of females as well. Initiation is considered necessary for the individual to be regarded as a full member of the tribe. Otherwise, the individual may not be allowed to participate in ceremonies or even in social rituals such as marriage. A man will not be allowed to marry or have any special relationship with a woman who did not go to an initiation, because she is not considered to be a woman.

Initiation may be thought of as an event which may help teens prepare themselves to be good husbands and wives. Where modernization is occurring, initiation is not taken so seriously as before, although there are still certain areas which still perform initiations.

The bull jumping ceremony of the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia Etiopia - omo river valley DSC 2835 (40).jpg
The bull jumping ceremony of the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia

In some African tribes, boys take about 3–4 months participating in initiation rites and girls take about 1–2 months.

Australian Aboriginal tribes usually had long periods of time to help prepare adolescent boys, teaching them traditional lore before they were ready to attend large elaborate ceremonies at the time of initiation when they were finally recognized as full-fledged men in their society. Most tribes had circumcision and scarification as part of the male initiation rituals, while many Central Australian tribes also practiced subincision.

A salient shared cultural feature of the Min peoples of the New Guinea Highlands is initiation into a secret male religious cult. [20] For example, the Urapmin people used to practice a type of male initiation known in Urap as ban. [21] These elaborate rituals were a central part of Urapmin social life. [22] The ban was a multistage process which involved beatings and manipulation of various objects. [21] At each stage, the initiate was offered revelations of secret knowledge (Urap: weng awem), but at the next stage these would be shown to be false (Urap: famoul). [21] These initiations were abandoned with the adoption of Christianity, and the Urap have expressed relief at no longer having to administer the beatings which were involved. [23]

A young Satare-Mawe with a rite of passage instrument Tucandeira ritual - panoramio.jpg
A young Sataré-Mawé with a rite of passage instrument

The Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil use intentional bullet ant stings as part of their initiation rites to become warriors. [24]

Among the various Austronesian peoples, head-hunting raids were strongly tied to the practice of tattooing. In head-hunting societies, tattoos were records of how many heads the warriors had taken in battle, and was part of the initiation rites into adulthood. [25]

The Sande society in West Africa initiates girls into adulthood by rituals including female genital mutilation. [26]

Historical China

Chinese boys, under the Rites of Zhou, initiate their adulthood when they are 20 years old (加冠) and girls when they are 15 (及笄). Yili (儀禮), a text in the chapter of the rites(?) (士冠禮) describes various details of the ceremonies involved.

Nearing the late parts of the ceremony, the initiate gains an alias, or a "Courtesy name"; thereafter use of their personal name is strictly prohibited except before parents and rulers.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rite of passage</span> Ritual reflecting change of social status

A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of rite de passage, a French term innovated by the ethnographer Arnold van Gennep in his work Les rites de passage, The Rites of Passage. The term is now fully adopted into anthropology as well as into the literature and popular cultures of many modern languages.

Bwiti is a spiritual discipline of the forest-dwelling Punu people and Mitsogo peoples of Gabon and by the Fang people of Gabon. Modern Bwiti incorporates animism, ancestor worship, and in some cases, Christianity, into a syncretistic belief system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazing</span> Rituals of humiliation used to initiate someone into a group

Hazing, initiation, beasting, bastardisation, ragging or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them regardless of a person's willingness to participate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystagogue</span> Religious or occult function

A mystagogue is a person who initiates others into mystic beliefs, and an educator or person who has knowledge of the sacred mysteries of a belief system. Another word for mystagogue is hierophant.

Circumcision likely has ancient roots among several ethnic groups in sub-equatorial Africa, Egypt, and Arabia, though the specific form and extent of circumcision has varied. Ritual male circumcision is known to have been practiced by South Sea Islanders, Aboriginal peoples of Australia, Sumatrans, and some Ancient Egyptians.

Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Călușari</span> A riitual acrobatic dance

The Călușari are the members of a fraternal secret society who practice a ritual acrobatic dance known as the căluș. Originally Romanian, the practice later spread to Bulgaria and North Macedonia. From three weeks after Easter until Pentecost, called Rusalii in Romanian, for around two weeks they have traditionally travelled to all their local communities where they would dance, accompanied by a few fiddlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bora (Australian)</span>

Bora is an initiation ceremony of the Aboriginal people of Eastern Australia. The word "bora" also refers to the site on which the initiation is performed. At such a site, boys, having reached puberty, achieve the status of men. The initiation ceremony differs from Aboriginal culture to culture, but often, at a physical level, involved scarification, circumcision, subincision and, in some regions, also the removal of a tooth. During the rites, the youths who were to be initiated were taught traditional sacred songs, the secrets of the tribe's religious visions, dances, and traditional lore. Many different clans would assemble to participate in an initiation ceremony. Women and children were not permitted to be present at the sacred bora ground where these rituals were undertaken.

The Balanta are an ethnic group found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal, Cape Verde and The Gambia. They are the largest ethnic group of Guinea-Bissau, representing more than one-quarter of the population. Despite their numbers, they have remained outside the colonial and postcolonial state because of their social organisation. The Balanta can be divided into six dialects: Nyacra, Ganja (Mane), Naga, Patch, Sofar and Kentohe. The largest of which are the Balanta Kentohe.

The Urapmin people are an ethnic group numbering about 375 people in the Telefomin District of the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. One of the Min peoples who inhabit this area, the Urapmin share the common Min practices of hunter-gatherer subsistence, taro cultivation, and formerly, an elaborate secret cult available only to initiated men.

Many cultures practice or have practiced initiation rites, including the ancient Greeks, the Hebraic/Jewish, the Babylonian, the Mayan, and the Norse cultures. The modern Japanese practice of Miyamairi is such a ceremony. In some, such evidence may be archaeological and descriptive in nature, rather than a modern practice.

The Mbole people are an ethnic group of about 150,000 people living in the Orientale Province, southwest of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Mbole were previously referred to as Bambole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndut initiation rite</span> Rite of passage as well as a religious education commanded by Serer religion

The Ndut is a rite of passage as well as a religious education commanded by Serer religion that every Serer must go through once in their lifetime. The Serer people being an ethnoreligious group, the Ndut initiation rite is also linked to Serer culture. From the moment a Serer child is born, education plays a pivotal role throughout their life cycle. The ndut is one of these phases of their life cycle. In Serer society, education lasts a lifetime, from infancy to old age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulwaluko</span> Traditional phallus cutting and initiation into manhood, practised throughout South Africa

Ulwaluko, traditional circumcision and initiation from childhood to adulthood, is an ancient initiation rite practised by the Xhosa people, and is commonly practised throughout South Africa. The ritual is traditionally intended as a teaching institution, to prepare young males for the responsibilities of manhood. Therefore, initiates are called abakhwetha in isiXhosa: aba means a group, and kwetha means initiate. A single male in the group is known as an umkhwetha. A male who has not undergone initiation is referred to as inkwenkwe (boy), regardless of his age, and is not allowed to take part in male activities such as tribal meetings.

Female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone is the common practice of removing all or part of the female's genitalia for cultural and religious initiation purposes, or as a custom to prepare them for marriage. Sierra Leone is one of 28 countries in Africa where female genital mutilation (FGM) is known to be practiced and one of few that has not banned it. It is widespread in part due to it being an initiation rite into the "Bondo," though initiation rite-related FGM was criminalised in 2019. The type most commonly practised in Sierra Leone is Type IIb, removal of part or all of the clitoris and the labia minora. As of 2013, it had a prevalence of 89.6%.

Circumcision in Africa, and the rites of initiation in Africa, as well as "the frequent resemblance between details of ceremonial procedure in areas thousands of kilometres apart, indicate that the circumcision ritual has an old tradition behind it and in its present form is the result of a long process of development."

<i>Lebollo la banna</i> Traditional practice of male initiation

Lebollo la banna is a Sesotho term for male initiation.

Lebollo la basadi also known as female initiation among the Basotho is a rite of passage ritual which marks the transition of girls into womanhood. This activity is still practiced in the Free State, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal provinces of South Africa. In Sesotho, lebollo means initiation. The Basotho rite of passage ritual, unlike other practices in Africa, does not involve procedures which remove parts of the female genital organ. However, the inner folds of the labia are enlarged and elongated by stretching for a more pleasurable sexual experience. In areas where initiation is still valued, uninitiated girls are ridiculed by society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life cycle ritual</span> Cceremony to mark a change in a persons status

A life cycle ritual is a ceremony to mark a change in a person's biological or social status at various phases throughout life. Such practices are found in many societies and are often based on traditions of a community. Life cycle rituals may also have religious significance that is stemmed from different ideals and beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Views on circumcision</span> Cultural, social and religious views

Circumcision has played a significant cultural, social, and religious role in various global cultures over the course of world history. This has subsequently led to widely varying views related to the practice.

References

  1. ↑ Miller, William Ian (1995). Humiliation: And Other Essays on Honor, Social Discomfort, and Violence. Cornell paperbacks : essays, sociology (reprint ed.). ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. p. 164. ISBN   9780801481178 . Retrieved 27 July 2019. The humiliation of initiation rituals borrows from the world of comic ordering, the shaming rituals from tragic ordering. The initiation ritual conceives of humiliation as a test, a rite, prior to and indeed allowing for the attainment of honor as a group member of good standing.
  2. ↑ Eliade (1958)
  3. ↑ Aronson, E.; Mills, J. (1959). "The effect of severity of initiation on liking for a group". Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 59 (2): 177–181. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.368.1481 . doi:10.1037/h0047195.
  4. ↑ Festinger, L (1961). "The psychological effects of insufficient rewards". American Psychologist. 16 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1037/h0045112.
  5. ↑ Kamau, C. (2012). What does being initiated severely into a group do? The role of rewards. International Journal of Psychology, doi : 10.1080/00207594.2012.663957
  6. ↑ Keating, C. F.; Pomerantz, J.; Pommer, S. D.; Ritt, S. J. H.; Miller, L. M.; McCormick, J. (2005). "Going to college and unpacking hazing: A functional approach to decrypting initiation practices among undergraduates". Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice. 9 (2): 104–126. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.611.2494 . doi:10.1037/1089-2699.9.2.104. S2CID   43240412.
  7. ↑ Lodewijkx, H. F. M.; van Zomeren, M.; Syroit, J. E. M. M. (2005). "The anticipation of a severe initiation: Gender differences in effects on affiliation tendency and group attraction". Small Group Research. 36 (2): 237–262. doi:10.1177/1046496404272381. S2CID   146168269.
  8. ↑ Bernard, Christian (2015). So Mote It Be!. Chapter 10. Mystical Initiation (Definition). The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.
  9. ↑ Erickson, Millard. Christian Theology. Baker Academic. pp. 1016–17.
  10. ↑ Evola, Julius; The UR Group (2001). Introduction to Magic: Rituals and Practical Techniques for the Magus. Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions. ISBN   978-0-89281-624-8.
  11. ↑ Barbera, Giuseppe (2013). Pietas: An Introduction to Roman Traditionalism. ISBN   978-1482631124.{{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  12. ↑ "Sailor Men: Are Navy rituals, like Kissing the Royal Belly, homophobic or homoerotic?". Archived from the original on 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  13. 1 2 Maryland gangs.Associated Gangs in this county Archived 2007-10-16 at the Wayback Machine .
  14. ↑ "Crying Meri". Vlad Sokhin. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Coolidge, Sharon (November 26, 2008). "Man, 18, gets life in prison for murder". The Cincinnati Enquirer. GateHouse Media, Inc. The Columbia Dispatch. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  16. ↑ James M Klatell. Exclusive: Gangs Spreading In The Military
  17. ↑ Jeff Grabmeier. TEENS CAN REFUSE GANG MEMBERSHIP WITHOUT SERIOUS HARM, STUDY SAYS. Ohio State University. Dec 18, 1998.
  18. ↑ Burris-Kitchen, D. (1997). Female Gang Participation. Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press.
  19. ↑ Miller, J. (2002). Young Women in Street Gangs: Risk Factors, Delinquency, and Victimization Risk. National Crime Journal, Ch.3>
  20. ↑ Brumbaugh (1980 :332)
  21. 1 2 3 Robbins (2001 :904)
  22. ↑ Barker (2007 :29)
  23. ↑ Robbins (1998 :307–308)
  24. ↑ Backshall, Steve (6 January 2008). "Bitten by the Amazon". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  25. ↑ DeMello, Margo (2014). Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. pp. 272–274. ISBN   978-1-61069-076-8. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  26. ↑ MacCormack, Carol P. (1975). Dana Raphael (ed.). Bundu: Political Implications of Female Solidarity in a Secret Society. The Hague: Mouton. ISBN   0-202-01151-8.

Works cited

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