article

Masks and madness: ritual expressions of the transition to adulthood among Miskitu adolescents

Social anthropology9 (3) • Published In 2001 • Pages: 257-272

By: Jamieson, Mark.

Abstract
The transition of persons from junior to more senior statuses has long constituted a important focus of anthropological inquiry, anthropologist mostly studying such changes in status through examination of rites of passage (p. 257). In this article Jamieson explores ritual expressions of the transition to adulthood among Miskitu adolescents in the village of Kakabila located in the Pearl Lagoon basin of Nicaragua. The focus in this work is on two of these ritualized forms of behaviour which have contributed to this transformation: [n]mosko[/n], a masked dance performance, and [n]grisi siknis[/n], a form of contagious hysteria principally affecting female adolescents that is found in Miskitu communities more widely (p. 258).
Subjects
Personality disorders
Dance
Marriage
Parents-in-law and children-in-law
Sex
Residence
Organized ceremonial
culture
Miskito
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub Region
Central America
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle; 2009
Field Date
1992-1993, 1997-2000
Coverage Date
1675-2000
Coverage Place
Village of Kakabila, Eastern Nicaragua
Notes
Mark Jamieson
Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-272)
LCSH
Miskito Indians