When Does a Child Become an Adult? Rites of Passage in Native Communities

You became an adult the day you gave something away.

It is a powerful idea.

Most of us can remember the age when the world officially considered us adults. But becoming older and becoming responsible are not necessarily the same thing.

For Native peoples, there has never been one universal ceremony or age that marked adulthood. Native Nations across North America developed their own traditions, responsibilities and ways of recognizing important stages of life.

That distinction matters whenever we talk about Native history.

Growing Older Was Only Part of the Story

Children learn gradually that their actions affect people besides themselves.

They begin by watching.

Then they participate.

Eventually, greater responsibilities may follow.

Within specific Indigenous communities, cultural teachings surrounding growing up can involve family, community responsibilities, practical knowledge and traditions passed between generations.

The details differ greatly from one Nation to another.

That is why it would be misleading to say that all Native young people became adults by completing one particular task or reaching one particular age.

What Does Responsibility Really Mean?

The idea of giving something away offers us an interesting way to think about adulthood.

A child naturally thinks about what he or she wants.

Maturity introduces another question:

What am I responsible for besides myself?

Perhaps it is a younger sibling.

Perhaps it is a family responsibility.

Perhaps it is knowledge that must eventually be passed to another generation.

Giving does not always mean giving away an object.

People can give their time, labor, knowledge, patience and protection.

When Life Stops Being Only About You

This may be why rites of passage remain such a fascinating subject.

They force us to ask what adulthood actually means.

Is it a birthday?

Is it independence?

Or is there a deeper change when a person realizes that other people may depend on what he or she does?

Different Native Nations have answered questions about growing up through their own cultures, histories and community traditions.

Those traditions should be understood individually rather than blended into a single story about “Native Americans.”

The Question Still Matters

The world has changed dramatically, but responsibility remains part of growing up.

Sooner or later, many of us experience a moment when life becomes about more than what we can receive.

We begin thinking about what we can contribute.

Maybe that is one of the clearest signs of maturity.

Growing older happens naturally. Responsibility has to be learned.

What did you give away that changed you?

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