The name and what it covers
Among the Western Apache, the girl’s puberty ceremony is called Na’ii’ees, a name that appears in several spellings in print. In English it is widely known as the Sunrise Ceremony or Sunrise Dance, and other Apache nations, including the Mescalero and Chiricahua, have comparable ceremonies with their own names and details. This article uses the Western Apache name because the ceremony varies between nations and the term is specific. It does not speak for any family or community.
The ceremony marks a young girl’s passage into womanhood. It is generally held after her first menstruation, though families decide when and how, and it usually unfolds over several days with public and private parts. Only the public aspects are described here. Songs, prayers and the inner details of the ritual are sacred and are not recounted on this site.
Public meaning
Published descriptions, including those by Apache writers, stress several ideas:
- Becoming a woman within the community. The ceremony recognizes the girl’s new status and, in the view of many participants, asks that her life be long and strong.
- A link to the founding stories. The girl is spoken of in connection with Changing Woman (called White Painted Woman in some Apache nations), a central figure in Apache accounts of how the world was made ready for people. The sacred accounts themselves are not retold here.
- Blessing for others. Many descriptions say the girl is, during the ceremony, a source of blessing for those present, and that families bring children and the sick to receive it. Beliefs on this point are personal, and a visitor should not claim to explain them.
- Continuity. To hold the ceremony is to affirm that a family and community continue to live in the Apache way, through changes brought by missions, schools and wage work.
Sponsors and family
A distinctive feature of the ceremony is the role of sponsors, sometimes translated as godparents, who are chosen by the girl’s family. A principal female sponsor typically guides and supports the girl through the days of the ceremony and takes on a lasting relationship with her. Sponsors are usually people respected for their character and knowledge, and being asked is considered both an honor and a responsibility. The family may select more than one sponsor, and the relationship it creates extends beyond the ceremony.
The ceremony is also guided by ceremonial specialists, singers and helpers, who are chosen because they are knowledgeable and trusted. Their work is not publicized, and the role is learned over a long time.
The girl’s immediate and extended family carry out much of the hosting. Because the event is large, relatives usually take on parts of the work, such as gathering firewood, cooking for many guests, preparing the dancing ground, and collecting gifts or foods. Planning can take months. In this respect, the ceremony is a reminder of how Apache family gatherings and the wider kin network operate in practice, with each relative contributing something. It can also be a financial strain on a family, and in some communities relatives and friends help by donating food and supplies. The generosity expected of hosts connects with the wider ideal of Apache gift giving and hospitality.
History and survival
Ethnographers recorded versions of the ceremony in the early twentieth century, including among the Western Apache and Mescalero. During the reservation era, some missionaries and government agents discouraged or banned Native ceremonies, and the Apache boarding school history includes sending many children away at the age when such ceremonies might have been held. Accounts differ on how openly it was held in different places and decades. What is generally agreed is that it did not disappear, and in recent decades it has remained an important event in many communities, with families committing considerable effort to hold it.
The ceremony has also changed in practical ways, as one would expect of a living tradition: the timing may suit school and work schedules, the guests arrive by car, and the feast may include foods bought in stores as well as those traditionally prepared. In some communities the ceremony is held in summer so that relatives from elsewhere can travel. These adjustments do not necessarily alter the central meaning for the people involved.
Community role today
For many families and communities, the ceremony is one of the most visible expressions of Apache identity and continuity. A girl who has gone through it is often seen as having a particular standing, and the event brings together relatives who may live far apart. The masked dancers who may appear in the related ceremonies, known in English as Crown Dancers and associated with the Mountain Spirits, are connected to the broader ceremonial system, but their role is sacred and is not described here.
Because it is a sacred event hosted by a family, attendance is by invitation, in the same way that one would not attend a family wedding uninvited. In some communities certain portions are open to the public, and in others they are not. Visitors who are invited are generally expected to behave respectfully, follow the family’s directions and ask before photographing or recording. Photography on tribal lands is often restricted, and at ceremonies it is commonly prohibited. Guidance on visiting Apache ceremonies etiquette is best taken from the nation itself, and its official website or cultural office is the proper source for current rules. It is often wise to assume that the answer to “may I take photographs?” is no unless someone says otherwise.
A note on terms
“Sunrise Dance” can lead readers to picture a performance, which is not how participants usually describe it. Many call it a ceremony or by its Apache name. Also, the English phrase is sometimes applied loosely to girls’ ceremonies of other nations, which are separate traditions with their own names. It is safer to name the nation and use its own word where possible.