What Passes During The Rite Of Passage For Apache Girls?

The Sunrise Ceremonial is a traditional Apache coming-of-age ceremony held during the summer after a girl’s first menstrual period. It lasts four days, during which the girl takes on the role of Changing Woman, the first woman on earth and the mother of all Apache women. Julene Geronimo of the Mescalero Apache Tribe invited Broadly to attend her Sunrise Ceremony, a traditional coming-of-age ceremony that occurs after a girl hits puberty.

The Mescalero Apache reservation in New Mexico holds a time-honored rite of passage for its young girls every Fourth of July. The four-day ritual involves a series of tests that challenge the girls’ strength, endurance, and character, making them women and preparing them for the trials of womanhood. One prominent rite of passage of the Mescalero Apache is the initiation ceremony for a girl into womanhood, which involves the entire community’s participation.

The Apache Sunrise Dance is a four-day female coming-of-age ceremony, in which a girl temporarily becomes Changing Woman, the first lady and mother of her people. It is a significant and highly spiritual event for both the girl and the entire Apache community. On October 22, 2020, the Mescalero Apache Reservation held a four-day dance ceremony marking the passage into womanhood, testing a girl’s endurance and enveloping her in the embrace of womanhood.

One of the most central rituals performed by Julene is the dancing. Over three nights, she learns and practices her steps for hours inside the meadow. The Sunrise Ceremonial marks the transition of an Apache girl into a woman, celebrating her transition to womanhood and preparing her for the trials of womanhood.