Trial of the mountain
Write about a coming of age rite celebrated in one of your lesser known cultures.
In Estekomendan tribes, when boys reach 16, they are sent out into the wilderness with nothing but a set of basic clothings, to survive on their own for a month. When the month is over, they either come back as men, or succumb to the wilderness.
History
The name "Trial of the mountain" refers to the Estekomenda mountains, where the tribes originate from and the rite of passage comes from. It is still named so even though the tribes currently practicing it live in The great Forest, after either leaving the mountains in the time of Raul the first, or being pushed back by Brillia in the following centuries.
The original reasoning of the rite was practical: the mountains were a harsh place to live in, and those who can't at the very least survive the mountian, if not thrive there, would be wasting precious resources of the tribe.
With time though, it became the way to "earn" one's manhood, and no longer as practical, since despite being dangerous, the great forest is not low on resources.
With time though, it became the way to "earn" one's manhood, and no longer as practical, since despite being dangerous, the great forest is not low on resources.
Execution
At the morning of the boy's 16th birthday, the tribe gathers at the settlement's edge.
The boy's father (or the chieftain of the tribe if the father is dead, since he is the father of the tribe) gives a short speech anouncing the departure of the boy, and anticipating is return as a man. The boy then kneels, and the father gives him his blessing.
Following that, the tribe's wise man starts saying the traditional words of the rite, while applying war paint to the boy's face.
After the wise man finishes, there is silence, and the boy stands up and walks away. In the day of anticipated return, the tribe gathers again near the settlement's edge. If the child returns, they greet him warmly, with the wise man announcing that he is now a man. If he doesn't return by nightfall, he is presumed dead, and his family will remain at the settlement's edge for 3 days with the rest of their tribe taking care of their needs and their duties.
The boy's father (or the chieftain of the tribe if the father is dead, since he is the father of the tribe) gives a short speech anouncing the departure of the boy, and anticipating is return as a man. The boy then kneels, and the father gives him his blessing.
Following that, the tribe's wise man starts saying the traditional words of the rite, while applying war paint to the boy's face.
After the wise man finishes, there is silence, and the boy stands up and walks away. In the day of anticipated return, the tribe gathers again near the settlement's edge. If the child returns, they greet him warmly, with the wise man announcing that he is now a man. If he doesn't return by nightfall, he is presumed dead, and his family will remain at the settlement's edge for 3 days with the rest of their tribe taking care of their needs and their duties.
Important Locations
Related Organizations
Related Ethnicities
Cool coming aof age ceremony and I like how it started as way to train to use limited resources to abecoming a man