Bullet Ant Initiation

One of the most significant and memorable moments for someone has to be their transition from childhood to adulthood, or as people call it, “coming of age”. Different cultures around the world have their own coming of age customs, like the Jewish Bar and Bat Mitzvah, the Sateré-Mawé Bullet Ant Initiation, or the sweet 16 in the United States. Similar to the latter, in Latin America we celebrate quinceañeras or quince años. As little girls we dream of reaching the age of fifteen to transition into young women and celebrate this big day. Three and a half years later it is nearly impossible for me to forget the preparation, the actual celebration, and more specifically, the dance of my quince años. To my family and I, this was the one day in

I clearly remember being woken up by Ma at five-thirty in the morning so I could take a shower and proceed to getting ready. Several hours later, after having my hair and makeup finished, and having put on the dress, we were ready to head out. I didn’t dare catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror until I was ready to leave, and I remember feeling something cold run swiftly down my spine as I stared into the reflection of a girl I could hardly recognize. Still astounded by that encounter, we walked to our local temple for a brief ceremony before heading to “La Hacienda”, where family and friends were already waiting for us. The moment I stepped into the vivid garden of the venue, the world around me came to an abrupt stop. I inhaled the fresh floral scent that completely filled my lungs, and what was left of my consciousness could only distinguish specks of silver and purple from the decorations. When I returned from the trance, I was welcomed by the clapping hands of our guests as the banda played “Las Mañanitas”. We steadily walked over to our table and after getting set up we made a toast and proceeded to having our meals. This was just the beginning of a very long day, as later on in the evening we would begin the dance, which was very special to me in many

It started off with the waltz as the banda began to play a steady beat that my dad and I danced to while everyone gazed. During this precise moment, I studied my father’s eyes and noticed a sparkle I had never before seen in his usually cold stare. It was such a heartwarming sensation I have not felt since then, and I could totally understand why many girls get emotional while sharing this moment with their paternal figures. But we had to move on, and after my dad it was my godfather’s turn to dance with me, followed by uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. I got to spend a few minutes with the people I care so much about, and they all took this time to demonstrate their unconditional love and support. After roughly two hours, the waltz came to an end, but the fun was just about to begin for us and our guests when the DJ began playing some norteñas to commence the night. As soon as “Los Tigres Del Norte” emerged from the gigantic speakers, everyone left their seats and rushed to the dance floor, showing off their best moves. People danced like there was no tomorrow, from norteñas and huapangos to cumbias and pasito satevo. And what better way to bring this stunning night to an end than by doing our favorite line dances! We could definitely not leave “El Payaso del Rodeo”out of this one! We all enjoyed this night to the fullest, and without a doubt this was going to be one to