Growing up away from my home on the Navajo Reservation, I have experienced a gap in many teachings my culture has to offer. It is this reason why I make it a priority to listen and appreciate any teachings my elders bestow upon me. As a young lady I was not fortunate to participate in the traditional coming of age ceremony known as a Kinaalda. This is a sacred ceremony that only girls participate in when they begin their menstrual cycle; it is a process of rituals, which shape you into being an exceptional lady. Knowing how to care for others properly by feeding them hand made bread, knowing how to tie a traditional bun, and learning how to pass down strong matriarchal lessons is just the top layer of the many lessons. Not having participated in this ceremony I often ask myself, “Would I be any different today if I went through those four days of sacred songs and practices?” “Would I have made the same decisions or would I have been better at performing the essential roles expected from a young lady?”
Although my sisters and I did not go through the ceremony, our mother, aunts, grandmothers, and great grandmother have still blessed us with their knowledge. Their words spoken to us during hot summers on a sand covered floor was our ceremony. Their words spoken to us by a wood-burning stove were our rituals. Their words spoken to us as they brushed our hair were our Kinaalda.
As we still grow we learn more about what it means to be strong women so in future days we pass down the important matriarchal teachings to our own daughters. Our unique ceremony is something I find important to document. These close, quiet moments between my mother and my sisters and I are what have made us the young ladies we are today.
Although my sisters and I did not go through the ceremony, our mother, aunts, grandmothers, and great grandmother have still blessed us with their knowledge. Their words spoken to us during hot summers on a sand covered floor was our ceremony. Their words spoken to us by a wood-burning stove were our rituals. Their words spoken to us as they brushed our hair were our Kinaalda.
As we still grow we learn more about what it means to be strong women so in future days we pass down the important matriarchal teachings to our own daughters. Our unique ceremony is something I find important to document. These close, quiet moments between my mother and my sisters and I are what have made us the young ladies we are today.
