Journal articles on the topic 'Puberty Rites'

Puberty rites are indispensable in African social and organizational life. They serve as channels through which African children are exposed and taught how to cope/behave to be considered as dignified sons and daughters of their parents and societies. But the influences of Western education, modernization, and Christian missionary counter-teachings in Africa have put an obstacle to such traditional practices which serve as suckle of good mores among African children. Today, the African children are left without benchmarks and this has led them to social vices observed in African societies. Since writers, among others, serve as custodians of events in societies according to time and space, girls’ and boys’ puberty rites have been reproduced in the fictional writings of African writers like Ngugi’s The River Between (1965), Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) and Nyantakyi’s Ancestral Sacrifice (1998). This article has examined how the above African writers have reproduced the puberty rites for girls and boys in their novels through the concept of rites of passage. As findings, the African writers have proved via their major characters that puberty rites for boys and girls are more or less one of the strong African traditions where the young adults are taught socio-cultural expectations of their society and how to meet up with future challenges ahead. Indeed, the girls’ and boys’ puberty rites are built on formal teaching in initiation ceremonies and on informal teaching through watching and imitating. So, the puberty rites for boys and girls start from informal teachings at home and before being societal formal teaching. On the one hand, right from home, parents associate the boys and girls who have reached the puberty stage around them to teach them things that are socially accepted in their community. Parents spend and make their boys and girls their friends. In this period, boys are encouraged to sit with their fathers and girls with their mothers to learn from them. On the other hand, it is societal when the boys and girls take part in the puberty ceremonies established for boys and girls in their community. But the conflicts of religious ideology between the whites and Africans have served as a bottleneck to the order of things in the novels. In short, the African writers have painted a vivid picture of these rites in their works so that it could not easily disappear because of globalization which is seducing most Africans to copy and paste the foreign ways of doing things. Remarkably, it seems the writers attempt to say to contemporary Africans to examine all things but retain what is good by allowing some of their radical main characters to die and by permitting the temperate ones to live to juxtapose good things in the Christian ways and both in African traditional ways.

The girl child’s transition from childhood to adulthood, Dipo, is of prime importance in the development of the Krobo community of Ghana. The transition acknowledges the part women play in the welfare of society; hence the performance of elaborate puberty rites for girls. The performance of Dipo puberty rites is therefore regarded as a means of unifying teenage women in their social role and integrating the arts of the Krobo people. Furthermore, it reveals the significance of these different art forms in the life of the Krobo people and in Dipo performance in particular. The problem, however, is that although there are several artistic elements embedded in the performance of Dipo, they have not been documented as art forms; nor have they constituteded a site for critical discussion and appraisal of Ghanaian performing arts. Early historical and anthropological scholarship on Dipo almost completely overlooks these artistic elements. This essay responds to this critical gap by situating Dipo in the context of these artifacts as displayed in multiple phases of ritual ‘installation’ performance. This essay also identifies and examines the specific artistic elements featuring in the rite in order to highlight their embeddedness in and significance to the Krobo people, and, by extension, Ghana. The artistic elements in Dipo include ritualized visual, verbal, body, and theatrical elements, all of which are active and inseparable in the rites. As such, these art forms are analysed and discussed by means of figures and plates, which confirm visually their existence, aesthetic significance, and cultural value.

Globalization, which seems to have broken all socio-cultural, and economic barriers, and the growing rate of societal awareness has no doubt challenged many African cultural rites such as female genital mutilation. Despite the fact that Dipo, a Krobo cultural puberty rite, has been criticised by many people, especially on the basis of its treatment of young girls, the Krobo have managed to sustain it due to its centrality to their culture as the ceremony is instituted to promote personal hygiene, home management, and morality. This paper, therefore, examines 35 girls between the ages of 12 to 20 comprising 21 initiates and 14 non-initiates from Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The participants were engaged in one-on-one and focused group discussions. Using both primary and secondary data, which is augmented with a qualitative research methodology, this paper examines the perception of girls passing through the Dipo puberty rite. The study reveals two main findings; the belief that Dipo is traditionally ungodly and true Christians must not participate in such activities and the belief that Dipo is a cultural puberty rite of passage that is binding upon the Krobo. It is established that the observance of the Dipo rite in this modern era has attracted a number of criticisms based on the way and manner the rite is conducted, especially from the Christians in Ghana, which causes serious psychological distress among Krobo girls.

Dipo, like all puberty or initiation rites, is an initiation ceremony performed for young girls who are of puberty age among the people of Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The Dipo rite ushers girls of puberty age into womanhood. It is one important event, during which they perform different types of indigenous music. At such cultural event, Ghanaian indigenous music is consummately performed in its context playing vital roles in the ceremony. A Guide for the Preparation of Primary School African Music Teaching Manual (1999); propounds that “songs are like books in a culture that is based upon oral traditions. They are means of transmitting culture and knowledge…” (P.16). In Krobo custom, the women in the community provide music during the entire ceremony. According to Nyumuah (1998), the millet beer (ngmada) is prepared on Friday. In the midst of the brewing, the women dance around the fireplace to the tune of klama songs.

Rites of passage are rituals or ceremonies signifying an event in a person’s life, indicative of a transition from one stage to another, as from adolescence to adulthood. The same can also be explained as ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person’s life, such as birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and finally death. They usually involve ritual activities and teachings designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new roles. Rites of passage are ceremonial events, existing in all historically known societies that mark the passage from one social or religious status to another. This paper elaborates on the importance of culture and traditions of childbirth among Apatanis and assesses the wealth of rites, customs, and traditions as wellas the wish of the people to have large families. This study helps tolearn more about the process of childbirth, associated with religious rites of theApatani people, viewed with the eyes of those that lived it in the last century. The analysis of the goal of this study uses theanalysis of secondary data and quality method of data collection through interviewson site, study of various primary and secondary sources of data as well as old publicationslinked with this study. The findings of this study point out that theApatanis has rich traditions, rites, practices, customs, and experiences that providea combination of the typical dresses of the area, diverse cuisine, and songs and dances formoments of joy of childbirth.

The aim of this article is to evaluate the perception of Pentecostal Christians in regard to the importance of the indigenous guidance and counselling among the Aembu indigenous society. In the latter, they socialized their children from birth to puberty. In a nutshell, emphasis is given to transitional rites of passage. Transitional rites of passage served as important tools of child socialization which was meant to instil moral values among the Aembu youths. In our contemporary society, many adolescents face moral issues which often call for intensive child socialization from home and church circles. In its theoretical framework, the article used the structural functional theory. Qualitative approach was applied as the determinant design. The article reveals that there are moral issues among the youth and that there are useful Aembu teachings and practices which were used in the Aembu indigenous society as socialization tools in order to instil moral values among youths to solve morality issues. The article concludes that there is an urgent need to put in place alternative rites of passage with the sole aim of coming up with effective child socialization programs.

Cultural traditions at the end of life solidify societal members. As the world becomes more globalized, socio-economic factors affect how traditional practices are expressed, and the role and toll they make on modern societies. This article examines the contemporary Akan funeral practices in Ghana. Akan lineage members, from birth through puberty, marriage, maturity, old age, go through various rites of passage that bond them culturally and spiritually to others in society. One such ritual is funeral celebration. Funeral celebration, an old practice, has always been at the heart of public social events of Akan people. However, the changes in Ghanaian Akan funerals over the past 4 decades, and their impact on the people, make this an important topic. The article describes the Akan belief of life after death, the respect accorded to the dead, the prestige associated with successful funeral celebrations, and socio-economic factors that continue to shape Akan funeral practices. Socio-economic impact and the resulting challenges are discussed.

AbstractThis article focuses on humor embedded in the delivery and lyrics of a form of song sung by Zulu women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa still widely practiced in rural areas, called amaculo omgonqo ‘puberty songs.’ The aim is to ascertain how and why young Zulu females sing these unusual songs which are normally sung in the days preceding two rites of passage ceremonies; firstly, the umhlonyane ceremony, which is held to mark a young girl’s first menstruation during her puberty years, and secondly, approximately 10 years later, the umemulo ‘coming of age’ ceremony which is held for young girls who have reached marriageable age. Analysis is made of the unusual use of scatological and ribald language in these songs, which are sung by young girls before these two ceremonies. These songs are rendered socially acceptable only because of the context in which they are sung, and for the bawdy humor which is core to the lyrics.

In the course of his ethnographic study of the Ndembu tribes, the renowned anthropologist Victor Turner focused on the elaborate rituals that marked various phases of social transition, such as puberty and marriage. Also drawing on the work of Arnold van Gennep on rites of passage, Turner identified the entities going through social transitions as liminals, that ‘are neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention, and ceremonial’. According to Turner, the defining attribute of liminal positions is their ambiguity and indeterminacy because they ‘elude or slip through the network of classifications that normally locate states and positions in cultural space’.

Naming is a universal cultural practice and in every society, names are given to children at birth. According to Wegryn (2008), a name is of distinction, chosen, conferred and announced. However, the way names are given, reasons for choice of particular names and the rituals involved in naming, vary from society to society. Birth is regarded among most African societies as the beginning of the rites of passage, which comprise birth, puberty, marriage and death, and all these are celebrated to show their significance. Among most Ghanaian communities, the newborn baby is kept away from public view for seven days and brought out on the eighth day during what is called the “outdooring ceremony”.

The article refers to anthropological, sociological and pedagogical aspects of reframing – in a creative way – the rituals addressed to children at the threshold of puberty. Based on a presentation of a new ritual of farewell to childhood, the paper is a theoretical reflection on the need of introducing new rituals that create ground for animation-educational practice. This practice – by revivifying creativity in areas considered so far closed and exclusive – makes it possible to overcome socially unfavourable structures of performance, and the inceptions of new, legitimized and empowering forms of subjective representations. Ritual’s creative qualities – in Victor Turner’s conceptualization – have inspired the authors to emphasize the need to replace a hegemony of thinking with a heterogeneity of thinking about the rites of passage. This undertaking is directed towards creating a space in social consciousness for rituals that are other than religious ones. Following Gert Biesta’s thinking, we argue that the farewell to childhood in the form we propose can be seen as an expression of pedagogical interruption and a practice of commonality which is a common good, one endlessly fragile and requiring cultivation. The secular children’s rite of passage and other secular rituals that arise not in opposition to religious rituals, but alongside them, are such common goods.

The gatherings among Yoruba people depicting religion, social or political values are usually staged with drumming. At the center of this art are the professional drummers with the cult identity of àyàn. The display, ordering and aesthetic of drumming are usually often come with some rituals during passages of life which are frequently unknown to the non-initiates. The study underscores the significant of ritual that are connected to birth, puberty, middle stage and death which are very important to life stages among the Yoruba people. It highlights the role of ritual rites in the profession of drumming in a selected town in Yoruba land. The paper use in-depth interview, participant observation, archival materials and ethnographic methods to generate data needed for its analysis. Tis paper through phenomenological analysis will process the data collected.

Abstract This study explores how parents’ understanding of childhood shapes their awareness and support for children’s participation in family decision-making in Akropong Akuapem, Ghana. Adopting the interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 43 parents conveniently sampled revealed three key themes: dependency; identity formation; and empowerment. Understanding childhood as a period of dependence, parents acknowledge their role as duty-bearers towards their children who are right-holders. Childhood’s role in shaping identity highlights the strong bond between children, families and the community, notably through naming ceremonies and puberty rites. Additionally, considering childhood as an empowering system emphasises children’s active contributions to their development. The study advocates for nurturing childhood as a period of empowerment, facilitating active children’s participation in family decisions concerning them whilst upholding rich cultural values. These insights have practical implications for Ghanaian culture and human rights.

Abstract In Nigeria, sexuality education was given to young people as they undergo rites of passage at the onset of puberty. It is expected that as this no longer obtains, the immediate family and the school should take on the duty. In this study, the researchers sought to know if giving sexuality education to adolescent girls will serve as a panacea to reducing teenage pregnancies and ‘baby factories’ in South East Nigeria. The subjects for the study were 22 adolescents girls of between ages 12 to 17 who supplied narrative accounts of the sexual experiences that led to their getting pregnant. The result showed that information on sexuality is still not accessible to teenagers making them pawns in the hands of people that exploit their ignorance. Based on the result, it is recommended that the family and schools should make sexuality related information available to teenage girls.

Abtract The first bra purchase, which implies the first bra wearing or at least the first bra specifically purchased for the young woman, introduces two phases beyond the demarcation of girl as woman: a lifetime of wearing bras and a lifetime of shopping for bras. In an effort to explore some of the consequences of using the term “rites of passage” in contemporary contexts, this article sets out to identify the elements common to the “rite” of the first bra purchase. It is an activity more or less inevitable in North American women’s culture; it is a commercial transaction, and thus can be affected by socioeconomic class status; and it is inherently associated with the transformations of puberty, both physiological and social (in van Gennep’s sense). Finally, although it is distinct from adolescent sexuality, it is nevertheless virtually inextricable therefrom and thus a gendered activity, one from which the male fieldworker is excluded for reasons that extend far beyond mere impropriety.

Abstract In 1962, Peter Ucko wrote his landmark work, The Interpretation of Prehistoric Anthropomorphic Figurines, challenging and permanently changing the prevailing view of prehistoric figurines as representations of a universal great mother goddess. His work focused on the Predynastic figurines of Egypt, and concluded that there was nothing divine about them. They were probably dolls, ancestor figures, talismanic pregnancy aids, tools for sex instruction and puberty rites, twin substitutes in graves and concubine grave figurines. Since then, this group of figurines has received minimal attention. Using Ucko’s four-stage methodology, this study more closely examines these figurines in the context of Ancient Egyptian culture and religion, with specific attention to the contemporary Sudanese religious beliefs and practices, which may share roots with Predynastic Egyptian culture. This study concludes that some Dynastic religious beliefs and iconography relating to female deities can be recognised in many of these figurines, and can be traced back to prehistoric Nilotic rituals.

The double identity of missionaries acting as both Christian and Western representatives carried a burden for their enterprise, resulting in the continuous inquiries by Africans as to whether an individual is an African Christian or a Christian African. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o in his novel The River Between depicted these two worlds using Kameno and Makuyu, communities in the mountainous regions of Agikuyu land, as they tried to negotiate their religio-cultural identities amidst the tension between the missionary enterprise and irua practice (the puberty rite of passage among the Gikuyu community). Nevertheless, the river between – the river Honia – acted as a conciliatory agency for the two communities. This article focuses on the inter- and intra-dependence of irua practice and confirmation practice in the Anglican Church of Kenya in their negotiation of religio-cultural identities. Through a historical account of indigenous rites of passage, the development of confirmation practice and their encounters, the article explores the resurgence of irua practice and ‘Christianisation’ to find ‘the river between’. Using examples from three Nairobi Metropolitan Anglican Cathedrals that have adopted the various forms of ‘Christianised’ irua practices, the article will show how they act as recipes for this dual religious identity construction, contestation and negotiation.

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of exogenous GnRH pulsatile infusions on the diurnal variations of LH and testosterone secretion which occur in late pre-puberty and early puberty. GnRH infusions were administered to 12 short stature males in pre-puberty or early puberty, over 6-day periods. In 6 patients, GnRH doses of 2.5, 7.5 and 15 μg/pulse were used and 24-h profiles of serum LH and testosterone were measured before and at the end of the infusions. In the remaining 6 patients GnRH was administered at a dose of 7.5 μg/pulse and profiles between 21.00 and 06.00 h the following day were determined. Pre-infusion profiles demonstrated nocturnal LH and testosterone rises in all patients. Median pre-infusion serum LH prior to midnight was 2.2 U/l (range 1.0–5.4) rising to 3.7 U/l (range 1.9–10.7) during GnRH administration (p < 0.005). After midnight, median pre-treatment serum LH concentration was 4.3 U/l (range 2.7–7.5) which remained unaltered by GnRH administration (median 4.8 U/l, range 2.9–7.9, p > 0.05). Median pre-therapy serum testosterone before midnight was 0.8 nmol/l (range 0.1−7.1) rising significantly (p < 0.05) to 4.1 nmol/l (range 0.2–8.0). Following therapy, post-midnight median serum testosterone rose from 4.8 (range 0.4–9.4) to 7.0 nmol/l (range 0.5–13.9, p > 0.05). Diurnal variation in LH and testosterone secretion, therefore, is maintained during exogenous GnRH administration to pre-pubertal and pubertal boys. Response to exogenous GnRH pulses may be significantly influenced by endogenous GnRH.

Puberty is the period during which we attain adult secondary sexual characteristics and reproductive capability. Its onset depends upon reactivation of pulsative GNRH, secretion from its relative quiescence during childhood, on the background of intact potential for pituitary–gonadal function. This review is intended: to highlight those current practices in diagnosis and management that are evidence based and those that are not; to help clinicians deal with areas of uncertainty with reference to physiologic first principles; by sign-posting relevant data arising from other patient groups with shared issues; to illustrate how recent scientific advances are (or should be) altering clinician perceptions of pubertal delay; and finally, to emphasise that the management of men and women presenting in advanced adult life with absent puberty cannot simply be extrapolated from paediatric practice. There is a broad spectrum of pubertal timing that varies among different populations, separated in time and space. Delayed puberty usually represents an extreme of the normal, a developmental pattern referred to as constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP), but organic defects of the hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis predisposing to hypogonadism may not always be initially distinguishable from it. CDGP and organic, or congenital hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism are both significantly more common in boys than girls. Moreover, around 1/3 of adults with organic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism had evidence of partial puberty at presentation and, confusingly, some 5–10% of these subsequently may exhibit recovery of endogenous gonadotrophin secretion, including men with Kallmann syndrome. However, the distinction is crucial as expectative (‘watch-and-wait’) management is inappropriate in the context of hypogonadism. The probability of pubertal delay being caused by organic hypogonadism rises exponentially both with increasing age at presentation and the presence of associated ‘red flag’ clinical features. These ‘red flags’ comprise findings indicating lack of prior ‘mini-puberty’ (such as cryptorchidism or micropenis), or the presence of non-reproductive congenital defects known to be associated with specific hypogonadal syndromes, e.g. anosmia, deafness, mirror movements, renal agenesis, dental/digital anomalies, clefting or coloboma would be compatible with Kallmann (or perhaps CHARGE) syndrome. In children, interventions (whether in the form or treatment or simple reassurance) have been historically directed at maximising height potential and minimising psychosocial morbidity, though issues of future fertility and bone density potential are now increasingly ‘in the mix’. Apubertal adults almost invariably harbour organic hypogonadism, requiring sensitive acknowledgement of underlying personal issues and the timely introduction of sex hormone replacement therapy at more physiological doses.

Abstract. Plasma LH and FSH concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay in male mice from birth to adulthood after LRH injection, castration and testosterone replacement therapy. Except at birth for LH, LRH significantly increased circulating levels of both gonadotrophins at all stages studied. It is suggested that a change in the pituitary LH response to LRH occurs around puberty and perhaps represents the time of initiation of pubertal processes. At all stages studied (except the infantile stage for LH) castration resulted in a significant rise in circulating LH and FSH levels. The magnitude of LH response to castration increased with age but not that of FSH. Testosterone replacement therapy, inducing supra-physiological circulating testosterone levels, was ineffective to depress the post-castration rises of LH and FSH levels.

AbstractThe rate of depression rises overall between childhood and adolescence, and by early adulthood depression is twice as common in women as in men. However, study results are conflicting as to the relative rates of depression in prepubertal boys and girls, and it is not clear whether the rates in adolescent boys rise, fall, or remain steady. It is also uncertain when in adolescence the female preponderance emerges. A number of studies point to effects of the biological developments of puberty as having an important place in these changes. From a developmental point of view, the fact that the hormonal and physical changes of puberty differ in boys and girls, mean that a “biological explanation” fits in well with the gender differentiation in rates of depression across puberty. In a sample of 3,519 8–16-year-old psychiatric patients, both boys and girls shared increasing levels of depression across this age range, but the rate of increase was faster in girls. There was no difference in the rates of depression between boys and girls before the age of 11, but by the age of 16 girls were twice as likely as boys to have significant depressive symptomatology. When age was controlled for, pubertal status had no effect on depression scores. Thus, these results did not support the idea that the biological changes of puberty are a primary motive force in producing the changes in the sex ratio in depression in adolescence. Therefore, further research on this topic needs not only to address the etiology of depression in young people, but also to search for etiologic factors with differential distributions or effects on boys and girls.

Circulating concentrations of leptin are better correlated with absolute amounts of adipose tissue [fat mass (FM)] than with relative body fatness (body mass index or percent body fat). There is a clear sexual dimorphism in circulating concentrations of leptin (females&gt; males) at birth and in adulthood. However, whether such dimorphism is present in the interval between these periods of development remains controversial. We examined body composition and clinical (Tanner stage) and endocrine (pituitary-gonadal axis hormones) aspects of sexual maturation in relationship to circulating concentrations of leptin in 102 children (53 males and 49 females, 6–19 yr of age) to evaluate the relationship between circulating leptin concentrations and body composition before and during puberty. Pubertal stage was assigned by physical examination (Tanner staging) and also assessed by measurement of plasma estradiol, testosterone, and pituitary gonadotropins. Body composition was determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and by anthropometry. Circulating concentrations of leptin in the postabsorptive state were determined by a solid-phase sandwich enzyme immunoassay. The effect of gender on the relationship between circulating leptin concentrations and FM was determined by ANOVA at each Tanner stage. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses, including circulating concentrations of pituitary-gonadal axis hormones, and FM were performed, by gender, to determine whether the relationship between circulating concentrations of leptin and FM changes during puberty. Plasma leptin concentrations were significantly correlated with FM at all Tanner stages in males and females. Plasma leptin concentrations, normalized to FM, were significantly higher in females than males at Tanner stages IV and V but not at earlier stages of pubertal development. Plasma leptin concentrations, normalized to FM, were significantly greater in females at Tanner stage V compared with females at Tanner stage I and significantly lower in males at Tanner stage IV and V compared with males at Tanner stage I. These significant gender and maturational differences were confirmed by demonstrating that the regression equation relating circulating leptin concentrations to FM in females and males at Tanner stages IV and V were significantly different (predicted lower leptin concentrations in males than females with identical body composition) and that the regression equations relating circulating concentrations of leptin to FM in each gender before puberty (Tanner stage I) were significantly different (predicted higher plasma concentrations of leptin in prepubertal males and lower leptin concentrations in prepubertal females) than the same regression equations in later puberty. Circulating concentrations of testosterone were significant negative correlates of circulating concentrations of leptin normalized to FM in males when considered as a group over all pubertal stages. The inclusion in multivariate regression analyses of circulating concentrations of testosterone and estradiol, FM, fat-free mass, and gender did not eliminate a significant gender-effect (P &lt; 0.05) on circulating concentrations of leptin at Tanner stages IV and V. The circulating concentration of leptin, normalized to FM, declines significantly in males and rises significantly in females late in puberty to produce a late-pubertal/adult sexual dimorphism. These studies confirm a potent role for gonadal steroids as mediators of this sexual dimorphism in circulating concentrations of leptin. The persistence of a significant gender-effect on circulating leptin concentrations at Tanner stages IV and V, even when the regression equation includes body composition and circulating concentrations of gonadal steroids, however, suggests that this sexual dimorphism also reflects the direct or interactive effects of either other sex-related metabolic variables (such as insulin, GH, or body fat distribution) or additional X or Y- chromosome-linked gene effects that produce an increasing sexual dimorphism of circulating leptin concentrations later in puberty.

“Wachuküa müsüka sain wanée a’laülaa joyotüsü spünalu’u ka’i katspüla skujainjatüin sukuwa ipa sumüin wachonyuu ée antüin skal’uu ka’kat”(Texto en “wayuunaiki”…idioma Wayúu)[La tradición es como una anciana que sentada en el camino de los días cuenta a las jóvenes generaciones las experiencias que ella ha vivido.]“Los Wayúu son gente de arena, sol y viento, llevan adentro la moral del desierto, han resistido durante siglos en la península de la Guajira, son grandes artesanos, y comerciantes, luchadores incansables por sus derechos históricos, que han sido muy violentados por la discriminación y el racismo”.Investigar en el mundo mágico y cosmogónico de una etnia ancestral es adentrarse en un espacio lleno de sabiduría e importantes conocimientos, lo cual no permite que el estudio del ceremonial y el protocolo escape a ello. La etnia indígena WAYÙU, ubicada en el espacio geográfico de territorio de 15.300 km2 dentro del departamento de la Guajira, Colombia, y 12.000 km2 dentro del estado Zulia, Venezuela, es un ejemplo importante de la necesidad de buscar en nuestras raíces interrogantes que a simple vista no pareciera tener respuesta. Porque hablamos de ceremonial y protocolo en las Ceremonias ancestrales y tradicionales de la etnia Wayúu? porque todo grupo humano antropológicamente ha demostrado que sus raíces provienen de MITOS, los cuales se transformaron y escenificaron en RITOS, estos evolucionaron a RITUALES que se convirtieron en CEREMONIAS, que con el paso del tiempo se estructuraron en CEREMONIALES y que fueron estructurados y normados como base de lo que hoy denominamos PROTOCOLO. De esta forma logramos llegar a la raíz primigenia del entendimiento antropológico y científico de nuestro conocimiento protocolar.La etnia Wayuu descendiente de los Arawak, presenta casi inalterablemente una serie de ceremonias ancestrales que basados en su estructura social matrilineal (podemos definir el matrilinaje Wayúu como un grupo de descendencia unilineal genealógicamente definido. Estos linajes tienen como elemento común los nexos de consanguinidad, ya que todos los individuos de cada grupo se identifican como descendientes de los mismos antepasados por línea femenina) y sin haber sufrido modificaciones estructurales importantes a través de los años, nos da una visión muy acertada de cómo podemos tras polar sus ceremonias a nuestro saber académico del protocolo actual. La estructura ceremonial de esta etnia se centra en tres hechos sociales específicos, la pubertad, la unión de pareja y en la muerte. Conoceremos como hay un eje central y conductor de estas ceremonias y cuáles son las figuras más relevantes en ella. Descubrir que, aunque no existe de manera formal el uso de términos “protocolares” la acción protocolar en si misma se realiza, como el uso de la precedencia, la etiqueta, el ente organizador, etc.___________________“Wachuküa müsüka sain wanée a’laülaa joyotüsü spünalu’u ka’i katspüla skujainjatüin sukuwa ipa sumüin wachonyuu ée antüin skal’uu ka’kat”(Text in "wayuunaiki”... language Wayúu)[The tradition is like an old woman sitting in the road that has to the younger generations the experiences that she has lived].Them Wayuu are people of sand, Sun and wind, carry in the moral of the desert, have resisted during centuries in the peninsula of the Guajira, are large craftsmen, and merchants, fighters tireless by their rights historical, that have been very violated by the discrimination and the racism.Investigate in the World Magic and cosmogonic of an ethnic ancestral is enter is in a space full of wisdom and important knowledge, which not allows that the study of the ceremonial and the Protocol escape to this. The ethnic indigenous WAYUU, located in the space geographical of territory of 15,300 km2 within the Department of the Guajira, Colombia, and 12,000 km2 within the State Zulia, Venezuela, is an example important of the need of search in our estate questions that to simple view not seems have response. Because talk of ceremonial and Protocol in the ceremonies ancestral and traditional of the ethnic Wayuu? because all group human anthropologically has shown that their estate come of myths, which are transformed and staged in rites, these evolved to RITUAL that is developed in ceremonies, that with the step of the time is structured in CEREMONIAL and that were structured and regulated as base of what today call Protocol. In this way we were able to reach the primordial root of anthropological and scientific understanding of our knowledge Protocol. The Wayuu descendant of the Arawak ethnicity, almost relentlessly presents a series of ancient ceremonies based on matrilineal social structure (we can define the genealogically defined matrilineality Wayuu as a group of unilineal descent. These lineages have common element the ties of consanguinity, since all individuals in each group identify themselves as descendants of the same ancestors by female line) and without having undergone significant structural changes over the years, gives us a very successful vision of how we can after polar ceremonies to our academic knowledge of the current Protocol. The ceremonial structure of this ethnic group focuses on three specific social facts, puberty, the union of couple and in death. We know as a conductor and central axis of these ceremonies and what are the most important figures in it. Discover that, even if it does not exist in a formal way the use of terms "Protocol" action Protocol if same occurs, as the use of precedence, label, the organizing entity, etc.KEYWORDS: Protocol, Ceremonial, Ethnicity, Cosmogony, Rites

The growth patterns of a child changes from uterine life until the end of puberty. Height velocity is highest in utero and declines after birth until puberty when it rises again. Important hormonal regulators of childhood growth are growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, sex steroids, and thyroid hormone. This review gives an overview of these hormonal regulators of growth and their interplay with nutrition and other key players such as inflammatory cytokines.

Предлагаемая публикация содержит материалы археолого-этнографической экспедиции Евгении Георгиевны Пчелиной 1938 г., относящиеся к изучению культового комплекса Мигъдæу, расположенного в Урсдонском ущелье Северной Осетии. Материалы никогда ранее не публиковались, поэтому их введение в научный оборот представляет актуальную научную задачу. Определив ныне существующие здания главных святилищ комплекса Мигъдæуы дзуар и Мигъдæуы Мады Майрæмы дзуар как небольшие христианские храмы, Пчелина впервые предприняла здесь археологические раскопки, надеясь обнаружить следы древних дохристианских святилищ. Из-за противодействия местных жителей раскопки пришлось прекратить, не достигнув поставленных целей. Обнаруженные в ходе раскопок предметы зафиксированы в описи и представляют собой характерный для осетинских святилищ набор жертвенных приношений. Более успешным был сбор этнографических и фольклорных материалов. Полевые записи Пчелиной уточняют уже приводившиеся сведения о совершавшихся в Мигъдæуы дзуар’е обрядах побратимства и примирения кровников. Пчелина впервые записала легенду о происхождении святилища Мигъдæуы дзуар. Краткое, но очень ценное сообщение о происхождении святилища Æмбæлæггаджы кувандон (Цуанонты кувæндон) раскрывает его связь с охотничьим культом и мифологией. В женском святилище Мигъдæуы Мады Майрæмы дзуар, согласно материалам Пчелиной, вплоть до конца XIX в. совершался в высшей степени необычный обряд «посвящения в половую зрелость», не известный другим источником. Обряд проводился с равноправным участием юношей и девушек, что позволяет по-новому оценить степень гендерной дифференциации в сакральной сфере традиционного осетинского общества. Изобразительные материалы извлечены из научных архивов Владикавказа и Санкт-Петербурга. Особого внимания заслуживают фотоснимки женского танца, зафиксированного в селении Дагом Урсдонского ущелья и идентичного ритуальному танцу, исполнявшемуся во время праздника в святилище Мигъдæуы Мады Майрæмы дзуар. Представленные материалы должны способствовать более глубокому изучению традиционных религиозно-мифологических представлений осетин. The proposed publication contains materials of the archaeological and ethnographic expedition that Evgenia Georgievna Pchelina undertook in 1938 to study the Mīğdæw religious complex located in the Ursdon Gorge of North Ossetia. The materials have never been published before, so it is urgent for them to be introduced into the scientific community. Having defined the still existing buildings of the main sanctuaries of the complex Mīğdæw dzuar and Mīğdæw Mady Mairæmy dzuar as small Christian temples, Pchelina started with archaeological excavations, hoping to discover traces of ancient pre-Christian sanctuaries. Due to local opposition, the excavations had to be discontinued and were fruitless. The items discovered during the excavations are recorded in an inventory and represent a set of sacrificial offerings typical of Ossetian sanctuaries. The collection of ethnographic and folklore materials was more successful. Pchelina's field notes clarify the already cited information about the rites of twinning and reconciliation of nemeses at Mīğdæw dzuar. Pchelina recorded for the first time the legend about the origin of the sanctuary of Mīğdæw dzuar. A brief but very valuable account of the origin of the sanctuary of Æmbælæggajy kuvændon (Tsuanonty kuvændon) reveals its connection with the hunting cult and mythology. Pchelina states that in the women’s sanctuary, Mīğdæw Mady Mairæmy dzuar, a highly unusual rite of "initiation into puberty", not known to other sources, was performed up until late 19th century. The ritual was conducted with equal participation of boys and girls, which allows us to make a new assessment of the degree of gender differentiation in the sacral sphere of traditional Ossetian society. The visual materials were extracted from the scientific archives of Vladikavkaz and St. Petersburg. Photographs of a women’s dance recorded in the Dagom village of the Ursdon Gorge are identical to the ritual dance performed during a festival at the sanctuary of Mīğdæw Mady Mairæmy dzuar and deserve special attention. The presented materials should contribute to a deeper study of traditional religious and mythological beliefs of the Ossetians.

This article explores confirmation as a ritual of Christian initiation in the context of the English Reformation. It examines how this rite of passage, which was demoted from its traditional status as a sacrament, survived and evolved in the wake of the theological, liturgical and ecclesiological changes associated with the advent of Protestantism. It traces the permutations of the practice of laying on of hands that both united and fractured people within the Church of England and its evangelical outer rings between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. It also considers the social history of a ritual that increasingly coincided with the transition from childhood to puberty, and its capacity to shed light on the formation of collective religious identity, bodily habitus and lived experience. Finally, it briefly discusses the Counter-Reformation of confirmation and its transformation into a marker of the confessional militancy of a minority faith.

Dipo rite is a puberty initiation practiced by the Krobo Groups in Ghana. The study describes the practice and process of Dipo rite, and its guidance implications associated with Dipo rite. This was a qualitative study underpinned by interpretative philosophical thought. The study employed case study design and data was collected using unstructured interview guide. Snowball sampling technique was used to sample the view of four (4) Dipo rite initiators and purposive sampling for the selected key informant from the Manya Krobo Chief Palace. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study highlighted the process and practice of Dipo rite. These included the policy, stages, benefit, and those are capable for being initiated. The study revealed that premarital education, courageous, career path, career opportunities were the guidance implications for the practice of Dipo rite. Finally, the study unveiled that age bracket should be introduced for the initiation not depending on one firsts menstruation and follow up should be done to check if the "Dipo yo "are practicing the teaching given to them.

Dipo is a historical rites of passage among the Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The goal of Dipo is to assist pubertal girls in transitioning into adulthood by shaping moral values and social responsibilities, learning home management skills, and preventing risky sexual behavior. Differences in psychological distress among girls who had and had not participated in Dipo were examined in the current study. The sample included 145 adolescent females, 80 Dipo initiates and, 65 nonDipo initiates. Participants, 12 to 20 years of age, were recruited from junior and senior high schools, and administered a questionnaire with measures of psychological distress, a sex role inventory, and a measure of favorability of Dipo. Findings revealed that Dipo initiates reported significantly less psychological distress than noninitiates. Dipo initiates also reported more favorable attitudes about Dipo than noninitiates. Although this study is preliminary, findings suggest that Dipo may be useful for increasing psychological well-being. Recommendations for future research are provided.

AMH is secreted by immature Sertoli cells (SC) and is responsible for the regression of Müllerian ducts in the male fetus as part of the sexual differentiation process. AMH is also involved in testicular development and function. AMHs are at their lowest levels in the first days after birth but increase after the first week, likely reflecting active SC proliferation. AMH rises rapidly in concentration in boys during the first month, reaching a peak level at about 6 months of age, and then slowly declines during childhood, falling to low levels in puberty. Basal and FSH-stimulated levels of AMH, might become a useful predictive marker of the spermatogenic response to gonadotropic treatment in young patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. After puberty, AMH is released preferentially by the apical pole of the SC towards the lumen of the seminiferous tubules, resulting in higher concentrations in the seminal plasma than in the serum. Defects in AMH production and insensitivity to AMH due to receptor defects result in the persistent Müllerian duct syndrome. A measurable value of AMH in a boy with bilateral cryptorchidism is predictive of undescended testes, while an undetectable value is highly suggestive of anorchia or ovaries, as would be the case in girls with female pseudohermaphroditism and pure gonadal dysgenesis. Lower serum AMH concentrations in otherwise healthy boys with cryptorchidism, who were compared with their age-matched counterparts with palpable testes, have been reported previously. AMH levels are higher in prepubertal patients with varicocele than in controls. This altered serum profile of AMH in boys with varicoceles may indicate an early abnormality in the regulation of the seminiferous epithelial function. Serum AMH is known to be valuable in assessing gonadal function. As compared to testing involving the administration of human chorionic gonadotropin, the measurement of AMH is more sensitive and equally specific. Measurement of AMH is very useful in young children, because serum gonadotropin concentrations in those who are agonadal are nondiagnostic in midchildhood and serum testosterone concentrations may fail to increase with provocative testing in children with abdominal testes.

The factors regulating adrenarche are unknown. Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that insulin and insulin-like growth factor I induce major adrenal steroidogenic enzyme genes and increase the production of adrenal androgens. Literature findings strongly suggest that changes in body mass index (BMI) reflect an integrated nonhormonal index of changes in serum levels and/or bioactivities of insulin and insulin-like growth factor I. We therefore longitudinally investigated individual changes in BMI and urinary 24-h excretion rates of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) in a prepuberty (PreC; n = 22, 11 boys and 11 girls) and a puberty (PubC; n = 20, 10 boys and 10 girls) cohort of healthy children. Twenty-four-hour urine samples were collected at yearly intervals during observation periods that lasted at least 4 yr (comprising ≥5 consecutive 24-h urine collections). For 4-yr intervals highly significant tracking coefficients (P &lt; 0.001) of 0.73 (PreC) and 0.93 (PubC) were observed for DHEAS, emphasizing the importance of individual (and genetic) influences on adrenal androgen excretion. In both cohorts almost 3-fold higher median increases in urinary DHEAS excretion rates (P &lt; 0.05) were observed during the 1-yr period of the individually highest rises in BMI compared with the 1-yr period of significantly lower rises in BMI (P &lt; 0.01) in the same children after the factor age was controlled for. However, no consistently significant associations were found between urinary DHEAS output and BMI from simple cross-sectional correlations at defined age points. These findings provide the first in vivo evidence that a change in the nutritional status, measurable in the form of Δ-BMI (but not BMI alone), is an important physiological regulator of adrenarche regardless of individual adrenal androgen excretion level, age, and developmental stage.

In order to establish the cyclicity characteristics of the Maradi red goat for the selection program, two experimental protocols were implemented separately at the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Niamey (Niger). The first included 8 multiparous females and aimed to characterize the plasma progesterone concentration during the sexual cycle. The second including 31 females (multiparous and young) focused on analyzing manifestation of sexual activity and determining averages durations of estrus and sexual cycle. Bloodsamplings and heat controls were conducted. It appeared that young female puberty occurs at 46 to 56% of adult goat weight and the onset and end of heats are widely detected in the morning (65%). Throughout the year, sexual activity is lower in dry and hot season and higher in rainy and dry and cold season. The averages lengths of estrus and sexual cycle are 43.27±26.54 hours and 23.16±16.68 days. These parameters vary, (p = 5%) between type of females for the length of sexual cycle with a high proportion of abnormal cycles (31.61% short and 28.57% long). progesterone profiles showed the same trend. Concentration is lower at estrus period (0.29±0.12 ng/ml), it rises from the 4th day to reach a peak of 6±1.6 ng/ml between the 13th and 16th day of the cycle. Keywords: Durations, Cycle, Estrus, Progesterone, Evolution, Maradi Red goats

The Arabian leopard is a critically endangered subspecies endemic to the Arabian Peninsula. A fundamental understanding of the ovarian activity of the leopard is important to enhance the success with which it breeds in captivity. The objective of the present study was to characterise the endocrinology of the follicular cycle, ovulation and pregnancy in captive females using faecal steroid hormone analyses and observations of sexual behaviour. The follicular cycle of the leopard was shown to last 18–23 days based on the interval between consecutive peaks of faecal oestrogen conjugates, and the occurrence of silent heats was high. Puberty had commenced at 2 years of age, but faecal steroid profiles did not match those of the adult female until 3 years of age. No seasonal change in ovarian steroid excretion was observed, although behavioural oestrus was suppressed in summer. Significant rises in faecal progestagen concentrations were only recorded in mated leopards, indicating that these females were strictly induced ovulators. However, only 60% of these mating periods were ovulatory. Progestagen concentrations during pregnancy were significantly higher than those of the non-pregnant luteal phase. The average duration of the non-pregnant and pregnant luteal phases was 39 and 97 days, respectively. The basic features of the reproductive cycle of the Arabian leopard described here form an important foundation for further study into its reproduction.

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Abstract We studied the spatiotemporal distribution of thyroid hormone nuclear receptors (TRs) α1 and α2 and β messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in normal human testicular tissue during development and in adulthood. Nonpathological specimens from five aborted fetuses (17 and 23 weeks of gestation, three and two cases, respectively) and from four patients undergoing orchiectomy (18 months old and 38-, 42-, and 52-yr-old, respectively) were analyzed by Northern blot, semiquantitative RT-PCR amplification using DNA sequences or specifically designed primers for the TR isoforms, and in situ hybridization. By using PCR amplification, we found that TRα1 and TRα2 are both expressed at different levels in fetal and adult testis. At all ages TRα2 is found at higher levels. Northern analysis showed hybridization signals corresponding to the expression of TRα2 and TRα1 in a ratio that increased from 2.6 at 17 weeks of gestation to 12.0 in adulthood. In fact, the expression of TRα1 dramatically decreased throughout development, being faintly detectable in the adult testis. Expression of TRβ was not detected at any age studied. This finding was further confirmed by PCR, which did not amplify TRβ either in fetal or in adult testis mRNAs. In situ hybridization studies showed the absence of TRβ and that TRα1 and TRα2 colocalized in Sertoli cells of prepubertal testis, whereas germ and interstitial cells appeared devoid of TR mRNA signals. From these results it can be concluded that the human testis exclusively expresses TRα, which is localized in Sertoli cells, TRβ being always undetectable. Fetal and prepubertal ages represent the period of maximal expression of TRα1 and TRα2. Theα 2/α1 ratio rises dramatically after development. These results confirm a critical window for the action of thyroid hormone in human testis, in the period of maximal expression of T3 binding isoform TRα1, and may account for the macroorchidism without virilization occurring when hyposecretion of thyroid hormones occurs before puberty.

Background/Aim. Primary hyperhidrosis causes are unknown. The disorder begins in early childhood. It intensifies in puberty and maturity. It is equally present in both sexes. The symptoms exacerbate when the body temperature rises and due to emotional stimuli affecting the sympathetic nerve system. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) sympathectomy is a method for primary focal hyperhidrosis permanent treatment. The single incision method in properly selected patients maximizes the intervention effectiveness and minimizes aesthetic side effects. Methods. This prospective study analysed the findings in patients who had been operated on due to primary focal hyperhidrosis (face, palms, and armpits) using a single small transaxilarry incision in the third inter-rib space at the level of the anterior axillary line with two 5 mm flexible ports. All the patients, with T2-T5 thoracoscopic sympathectomy of the sympathetic chain using a single small incision in the third inter-rib space in the anterior axillary line, were analysed in the period from September 2009 to November 2010 regarding the postoperative morbidity and outcomes of the operation (clinical evaluation and visual analogue scale) with a view to assessing the effectiveness of the surgery conducted in this manner. Results. A total of 47 patients (18 men, 29 women), 18 to 48 years old (29 on average) had underwent 94 bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomies. The sympathectomy was indicated in cases of facial blushing and sweating (6.38%), palmary sweating (34.04%), axillary sweating (14.89%) or both palmary and axillary sweating (44.68%). The largest percentage of patients (98.6%) had left the hospital the following day. The postoperative 30 day?s mortality was 0 and the conversion into open surgery was not necessary. As for complications, there had been an occurrence of partial pneumothorax in two patients treated by means of exuflation and chest drain, and one case of unilateral transitory Horner?s syndrome. Quarterly and annual postoperative monitoring showed excellent aesthetic effects of the surgery without any residual pain. The complete withdrawal of hyperhidrosis symptoms was noted in 44 (93.62%) of the patients. The recurrence of symptoms following the initial regression was seen in 3 (6.38%) of the patients 12 months after the surgery, whereas the patients surgically treated as a result of facial hyperhidrosis saw a significantly increased sweating of feet. The quality of life improved in 45 (95.6%) of the patients. Conclusion. Single incision transaxillary thoracoscopic sympathectomy generates excellent aesthetic and functional results in patients with primary focal hyperhidrosis.

Abstract This article reconsiders the historical and typological relation between Greek maturation rituals and Greek mystery religion. Particular attention is given to the word κλεινός (‘illustrious’) and its ritual uses in two roughly contemporary Late Classical sources: an Orphic-Bacchic funerary gold leaf from Hipponion in Magna Graecia and Ephorus’ account of a Cretan pederastic age-transition rite. In both contexts, κλεινός marks an elevated status conferred by initiation. (This usage finds antecedents in Alcman's Partheneia.) Without positing direct development between puberty rites and mysteries, the article argues on the basis of shared vocabulary and other ritual elements that age-transitions influenced the ideology of mystery cults. It is further claimed that puberty rites and mysteries performed similar functions in their respective social contexts, despite obvious differences of prestige and visibility. Age-transition rites have been analysed in Bourdieu's terms as ‘rites of institution’, in which young elites were publicly affirmed in civic roles: private mysteries can be described in analogous but opposed terms as rites of ‘counter-institution’, in which familiar ritual language and symbols of elite status were used to construct an alternative ‘imagined community’ of mystery initiates.

The aim of this article is to present a sexuality education programme, which can be used in puberty rites for girls (vukhomba) to improve the health status of women in the community. Opsomming Die oogmerk van hierdie artikel is om ’n seksualiteitsopvoedingsprogram voor te lê wat tydens die puberteitsrites vir meisies (vukhomba) gebruik kan word om die gesond-heidstatus van vroue in die gemeenskap te verbeter. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

It is well documented that initiation or puberty rites for girls are about sexuality, sex education, and sexuality education. Opsomming Navorsing het aangetoon dat inlywings- of puberteitsrites vir meisies gerig is op seksualiteit, seksonderrig, en seksualiteitsopvoeding. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

Culture plays a significant role in people’s lives in Zambia and in Africa as a whole. Consequently, there is a need to take Zambian or African culture seriously in order to look at the salient elements of cultural practices in rites of passage that influence the spread of HIV and AIDS. This article analyses four rites of passage associated with birth, puberty, marriage and death. There are numerous rites of passage in Zambian culture. Some of these rites help to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS, whilst others exacerbate the spread of the virus. Using the Reformed Church in Zambia Bible Study Method of Subgroups, discussions were held that allowed victims of cultural practices to tell their stories using the narrative model. This article sought to shed light on cultural practices that exacerbate HIV and AIDS and more importantly, provide culturally sensitive alternatives to these harmful practices.

This study was a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research study, conducted in the Northern Region of the Northern Province (now Limpopo) among Vatsonga/Manchangana in four selected areas. Opsomming Die navorsingsontwerp van hierdie studie was kwalitatief, verkennend, beskrywend en kontekstueel, uitgevoer in die Noordelike streek van die Noordelike Provinsie (nou Limpopo), onder die Vatsonga/Manchangana in vier geselekteerde areas. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

Issues about human sexuality have generated serious discussion in both public and academic discourses. In Ghana, the recent frightening figures of teenage pregnancy and diverse reactions to homosexuality, gay, bisexual, and transgender in news outlets have heightened the exigency of sexuality deliberations among religious, political, human rights activists, and social commentators. Amid the controversies and difficulties surrounding sexuality matters, the question is how do Africans maintain their ‘Africanness’ in search of expanded understandings and pedagogies of sexuality? Which indigenous conventions and rites must be interrogated to have the 21stcentury African child well informed and equipped to deal with his/ her sexuality? Using the phenomenological approach, the researchers sought to examine indigenous sexuality rites and norms of the people of Tutu Akuapem Community in the Eastern region of Ghana, focusing on puberty and marriage rites of passage. The study argues for a carefully thought-out compromise between custodians of indigenous values of sexuality and modern theorists and activists for new(er) ways of conceiving, expressing, and teaching sexuality. It recommends that the content of the newly designed curriculum of sexuality education in our schools must be adapted to reflect African worldviews, values, and customs of sexuality. Keywords: Sexuality, Gender, Phenomenology, Comprehensive Sex Education, Rite of passage

I shall investigate a quasi-historical event in the biographies of the second ‘Dharma King’ of the Tibetan Empire, Khri-srong Lde-btsan (Trisong Detsen). As the newborn heir to the throne, he was stolen from his mother by a rival queen; however, at a ceremonial event the still infant prince indicated his true descent by sitting on the lap of his maternal uncle. As Ruzsa (2016) noticed, the complex motif of the new ruler choosing his family by sitting on the lap of a male representative can be found in the Indian legend of Śunaḥśepa, embedded in a much richer structure. Following his reconstruction, by analysing further parallelisms in a wider corpus, it appears that the seemingly innocent story of a baby prince is, in fact, a remnant of an archaic rite. I suppose that originally this was a rite of passage, a special variant of puberty initiation: the consecration of the heir apparent. Furthermore, its relationship to the Indian legend of Śunaḥśepa connects it indirectly with the stories of Isaac and even Snow White and also with several rites of passage in ancient Greece. I will also suggest that some versions of the legend point to a probably even more archaic cycle of maternity rites with parallels in Solomon’s judgment and the Chinese Chalk Circle.