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The Sunrise Dance
| Length: | 28 min |
| Released: | 1995 |
| Ages: |
High School College Adult |
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The Sunrise Dance is a highly visual documentary showcasing 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 thirteen-year-old Maureen Nachu, who lives on the Fort Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona.
The footage 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 ceremony is a tremendous physical test, lasting three days and proving 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.
The footage 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 ceremony is a tremendous physical test, lasting three days and proving 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.
"A wonderful glimpse of a people's coming-of-age ceremony."
‒Booklist
‒Booklist
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1994
Festival dei Popoli, Florence, 1994
ALA Selected Films for Young Adults, 1996
American Anthropological Association, 1995
Festival dei Popoli, Florence, 1994
ALA Selected Films for Young Adults, 1996
American Anthropological Association, 1995
