Native American tribes had their own unique beliefs and rituals. Children who had attained puberty were made to undergo rigorous rites of passage. This helped to prepare them for the hardships of life and also attuned them to the spiritual forces.

One of these rituals was a Vision Quest undertaken by young men. Boys were sent into the wilderness for three days and nights alone and with no provisions. This period of isolation gave them the opportunity to discover their spirit guide. The quest depicted the death of the child and the birth of the man.

Young girls of the Kansa tribes underwent a similar process. An older girl was appointed the child’s mentor, both of them stood around a burning circle of pine needles and then escaped from it. Older women of the tribe then took over. They stayed in the initiate’s house for five days, singing, dancing and praying. At the end of the ceremony the initiate had five red and black stripes painted on her face which were removed when she reached marriageable age.

Girls of the Apache tribe performed a four day Sunrise ceremony. The girls’ faces were painted with a sacred mixture of clay and pollen. They performed grueling rituals such as dancing, chanting and sitting perfectly straight for hours. This ceremony sought to imbue the children with the spirit and strength of ‘Esdzanadehe’, Apache cultures first woman. The U.S government banned all tribal rituals in 1900; the ban was finally deemed unethical and removed in 1978. Since then many coming of age rituals have staged a revival among the tribes.