I was pondering what to write for this post all week, there
are so many styles and movements that have affected me over the years, how
could I narrow it down to just one to write about? It wasn’t until I was
walking to my local coffee shop that I wandered past an empty shop, with a sign
in the window reading “African Drumming Class: 7:30 Wednesday 14th
August.” As insignificant as the sign was it took me back to my travels through
Africa and our visit to the Maasai Mara.
The Maasai Warrior Jump Dance is a ceremony, which is
performed as part of tradition to mark the coming of age of Maasai boys. The
dance involves the warriors jumping in a straight posture, and the lucky warrior with
the highest jump gets to choose whichever female he likes from the tribe.
While this type of ceremony is quite a foreign concept in
Australia, there are many rituals performed as part of the process of ‘coming
of age’ throughout the world. According to Larson & Martin (2012) “rituals of initiation are common in
nearly every cultural and religious tradition. Many rites of passage involve
guided risk taking and adventure, marking the road to maturity”(p. 37).
The Warrior Jump Dance got me thinking about the
tradition of “coming of age” in
Australia, and how even though our culture is so drastically diverse from the
Maasai, we are still able to celebrate the same traditions. Be it sinking their
first can of VB or jumping as high as they can, the passage a youth takes from child into adulthood is
a significant step and one that is celebrated worldwide as a shared tradition.
Nederveen (2004) argues "the development gap between advanced economies and new industrial counties has narrowed, but the gap between these and the least developed countries has been widening" (p. 14). While the gap between the Australian culture and the traditions of the Maasai are widening, to understand some of the shared traditions these divergent cultures hold is inspiring to say the least.
REFERENCE:
Larson, S, & Martin, L 2012, 'Risk Taking and
Rites of Passage', Reclaiming Children & Youth, 20, 4, pp. 37-40, Academic
Search Complete, EBSCOhost
Nederveen Pieterse, J 2004, ‘Globalization: consensus and controversies’, Globalization and culture: global mélange, Rowan & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., pp. 7–21.
Firstly, an interesting and well-written post that has utilised worthy and interesting sources to highlight how there are many rituals performed as part of the process of ‘coming of age’ throughout the world, and how they are an impact on one's coming of age process, and how this relates to globalisation itself.
ReplyDeleteI believe that you used impressive and appropriate sources from the readings to depict the cultural gap between traditions of the Maasai in comparison to those in Australia, and how this is a reflection of globalisation in our society. I would have loved to hear more about your travels through Africa and your visit to the Maasai Mara, but I understand that the world limit would have held you back. My only critique is that I would have really enjoyed to watch a video of the ceremonial jump, because unfortunately I can’t really picture it even you’re your embedded image. Just a suggestion.
Overall, you wrote a very interesting and different piece.
Great job ☺
Shannon, the fact that you saw an advertisement for an African Drumming Class in a coffee shop window is a demonstration in itself of globalisation. The fact that we would not only tolerate others cultures but join in their practices illustrates not only the flow of people but the flow culture in the form of song and dance over time. I agree with Larson & Martin’s (2012) belief that “rituals of initiation are common in nearly every cultural and religious tradition”. I suppose the western equivalent of the ‘Maasai Warrior Jump Dance’ coming of age event might be a debutante ball. I agree with your idea that regardless of the way in which you mark coming of age moments, the journey from youth to adulthood knows no cultural or geographic barriers.
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