5 shocking ways of becoming a woman in different cultures

omotolani

March 7, 2018 10:59 AM

Some cultures believe that a girl can only transition to womanhood if she goes through some extremely painful conditions.

Science will tell say a girl is considered a woman when she begins her period.

However, some cultures believe that a girl can only transition to womanhood if she goes through some extremely painful conditions.

ALSO READ: 9 brutal tests of manhood from around the globe

Here is a list of five brutal tests before womanhood.

1. Tooth Sharpening, Mentawai, Indonesia

Living deep in the forest in Indonesia is a group of tribal people called the Mentawai. The Mentawai's believe in sharpening a young girls tooth to complete a right of passage. For them, it indicates a transition from childhood to adulthood.

For the women of Mentawai, sharpened teeth represent beauty, the sharper and more narrow it is, the more likely you are to fid a partner.

2. Breasts ironing, Cameroon

This horrific practice is used on young girls at the beginning of puberty to stop their breasts from growing. It is done to keep the girls from being sexualised and raped.

Most commonly it entails hot stones or sticks being placed on the young girl's breasts.

Other techniques include using wooden clubs and hammers to beat the breasts down. This often causes psychological trauma in the end.

3. Sex camps, Malawi

Girls undergo a two week camp on learning how to please men sexually, cook and clean.

From as young as nine, girls are told to lie on top each other to get a better understanding of intercourse in different positions. The girls are encouraged to practise their teachings and before camps, end must indulge in sexual cleansing.

They must partake in having sexual intercourse with a man who would be a complete stranger without using protection.

This practice has been passed down from generations to ensure they would be accepted in society.

If a girl doesn't go through with this, she is considered ineligible for marriage and deadly diseases would be cast upon their families and village.

4. Female circumcision

Still practised around the world. This ritual is done for a young woman to transition into womanhood. It is done ones a girl hits puberty to restrain her from having sexual urges. Under no anaesthesia, the girls are mutilated and parts of their genitals cut off with knives and raisor blades causing unimaginable pain and most times blood loss.

5. The sunrise ceremony, Apache Navajo, USA

Girls partake in a four-day ritual. They go through the four stages of life: Infancy, childhood and finally womanhood.

The girls would be blessed with pollen as a symbol of fertility and must not be touched by anyone but her godmother until the end of the ceremony.

At sunrise, she must run four times towards the rising sun. The second day is started by dancing for 6hours and praying to the mountain spirits for long life.

The third day the girls must dance the entire night until the morning of the fourth day. The other members of the tribe awake and the medicine men read the sun before a final test.

A golden white clay is poured on the girls and they must run their final path towards the sun (towards womanhood). It symbolises shedding of childhood into womanhood. She is giving a new name and is a proud woman of her tribe.

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