The Medicine Bag Analysis

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Many cultures in this world have rites of passages that could impact a person’s life, like celebrating Bars and Bat Mitzvahs for Jewish people to demonstrate and commit their faith and the Seijin-no-Hi in Japan for their coming of age (at age 20).  In The Medicine Bag, by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, there is a native American named Martin who is struggled with his Lakota heritage. His dying great-grandfather, Joe Iron Shell, gives Martin a spiritual medicine bag passed on to males in his family, but he is embarrassed to wear it. He is relieved to find out that he does not need to wear it and resolves his emotions about his Lakota heritage. A video called Apache Girl’s Rite of Passage by National Geographic, it shows an Apache girl named Daschina

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