This unique and highly visual documentary shows an ancient, sacred Apache ceremony that has never before been filmed. The Sunrise Ceremony which marks the passage from adolescence to adulthood for young Apache women, is disappearing under the pressure of cultural assimilation. This documentary focuses on 13-year-old Maureen Nachu, who lives on the Fort Apache Reservation, in Whiteriver, Arizona.It captures the elaborate preparations for the ceremony: the mystical rituals of the Medicine Man who presides over the dance, the spiritual purification rites in the "Sweat Lodge," and the secret midnight appearance of the "Crown Dancers." The Sunrise Dance is a tremendous physical test, lasting three days. It proves that Maureen has the courage and strength of character to take her place in adult society. For Maureen, her family and her community, the dance is a reaffirmation of tribal identity and the celebration of the role of women in Apache society.
Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011). AVAILABLE ONLINE TO AUTHORIZED PSU USERS.
Other Forms:
Previously released as DVD.
Reproduction Note:
Electronic reproduction. Alexandria, VA : Alexander Street Press, 2012. (Ethnographic video online). Available via World Wide Web.
Awards:
ALA Selected Films for Young Adults, 1996 American Anthropological Association, 1995 Festival dei Popoli, Florence, 1994 Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1994
