I. Classify using Van Gennep's categories and point out aspects which would be of particular interest to Turner and to Chapple and Coons.         The Mescalero girls' puberty ceremony is an example of a 'Rite of Passage,' a ceremony that marks the transition of an individual from one stage of life to another (Chapple and Coons, p. 484). The ceremony marks the transition from girl to 'mother of a nation' (p.252). The ritual serves as a …showed first 75 words of 2121 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2121 total…and to the counterclockwise direction. The Chamulas connect women to the ground and to coldness. The Mescalero connects women to the ground and to heat. 'Fire' is the primary symbol for the Mescalero women, particularly the pit fire. Many parts of the puberty ceremony involve the girls' sitting or lying on the ground, symbolizing a connection with Mother Earth. The Chamula's association between women and the ground, however, holds the negative connotation of 'lowness.'