Hi Debbie and others,
For Native American Indians, the Vision Quest is the ceremony that you are
referencing for this transition. The Sundance is entirely something
else......
And for young women having their first Moon (menstruation) or Ishnati (in the
Lakota language), the ceremony is the Buffalo Woman rite.....
Hope that helps! Re: this spirituality, good references for some of it
(nothing beats personal experience):
Steven Foster & Meredith Little's work on Vision Quests
and Joseph Walker on Lakota spirituality
However, keeping in mind that some of my Native relatives have had fun over
the years telling anthropologists and psychologists "stories" about some of
our traditions that aren't fully true......some things just aren't meant to
be shared under certain circumstances.
Hope this is helpful,
Judy Muhn
Brighton Hospital (Brighton, Michigan)
Henry Ford Community College (Dearborn, Michigan)
