In the Amazon region of South America, adolescents in the Waiwai culture celebrate their coming-of-age into adulthood by adorning themselves with beads, feathers and other artifacts that mark life's milestones in their society. In the United States, while no formal rituals exist, adolescents make their own mark and create their own communal identity by adopting tastes in certain clothing styles and music, even making fads out of body tattooing or piercing and other activities.
The youth cultures of both the Waiwai and the United States will be compared in a two-day program titled "Making the Body, Styling the Self: Ornamentation and the Life Cycle" at the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Cultural critics, anthropologists, environmentalists, students and journalists will consider the question: "Does western youth culture affect adolescent rituals in the Amazon?" The event, which is open to the public and is free with museum admission, is being offered in conjunction with the museum's current exhibition "Fragments of the Sky: The Art of Amazonian Rites of Passage," which is on view through Nov. 8.
The event will begin on Friday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m., when Vanderbilt University anthropologist Catherine Howard will discuss "Binding Body and Soul: Ornamentation in the Waiwai Life Cycle." Using slides, Professor Howard will trace how the Waiwai, from infancy to old age, use ornaments such as beads, feathers, twine and cotton to bind parts of the body, based on the belief that such binding keeps the soul from fleeing and getting lost along life's journey. While the milestone of adolescents' coming-of-age is celebrated as part of this ritual of adornment, the elderly gradually unwrap to prepare the soul's separation from the body at death.
The discussion will continue on Saturday, Sept. 27, when participants from many fields of study will discuss the objects and symbols of western youth culture, including such teen status symbols as leather jackets and makeup, as well as the clothing styles, music and language that distinguish community and identity for young people in the United States. These and other popular teenage pursuits, such as body piercing and tattoos, will be compared with the coming-of-age artifacts of the Amazonian people. Panelists and audience members will also consider issues such as the global influence of western youth culture.
In addition to Professor Howard, other participants include Tom Dolby '98, a journalist and cultural critic; Glenn Wallach, author of "Obedient Sons: The Discourse of Youth & Generation in American Culture"; Angela Ards, senior editor of The Village Voice; Nancy Flowers, an anthropology professor at Hunter College; Hugh Raffles, a doctoral candidate at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies; and Eric Worby, assistant professor of anthropology.
The Peabody Museum of Natural History, located at 170 Whitney Ave., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for children ages 3-15 and senior citizens; and free with a valid Yale I.D.