The sunrise dance / by Gianfranco Norelli.

Format:

Video

Author/Creator:

Norelli, Gianfranco.

Series:

Academic Video Online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Apache Indians--Rites and ceremonies.

Apache Indians.

Changing Woman Ceremony (Apache rite).

Genre:

Documentary films.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (29 min.).

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Filmakers Library, 1995.

Language Note:

In English.

Original language in English.

Summary:

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.

Notes:

Previously published as DVD.

Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011).

Recorded Fort Apache Reservation, Whiteriver, Arizona 0000.

Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1994

Festival dei Popoli, Florence, 1994

ALA Selected Films for Young Adults, 1996

American Anthropological Association, 1995

OCLC:

747798141