Critcial Thinking - Essay Example

It will also discuss how their personality and identity are shaped by the behaviors, customs and beliefs of the two communities (Ingham 107). The Maya women in their adulthood stage believe that backstrap weaving is a symbol of life given to them by the goddess lxchel. The fact that one side of the loom is strapped onto a tree and the other side onto the waist of the women shows that women are connected to nature therefore uniting them with the surrounding environment. According to the Mayan legendary the backstrap weaving was invented by goddess lxchel.

Therefore, whenever the Mayan women begun or begins to weave a new textile, an offering must be offered to the goddess. The Mayan women believe that goddess lxchel provides them with medicines and oversees the childbirth process. Thus, the gifts are for appeasing the goddess to offer the Mayan women the blessing of children and medicine. Thus a typical day for a Mayan adult woman comprises of the following activities; she wakes up, fends for her children and animals, grinds corn to make food and tortillas for the family and starts the backstrap weaving till sunset with a small break to prepare lunch for her family.

This same tradition is passed on to adolescent girls at the age of 7 to 8 years by their mothers or grandmothers. The Mayan community believes that a True Mayan woman shows her commitment to their cultural identity through backstrap weaving. Furthermore, this tradition creates a bond between the Mayan communities which is differentiated by about 20 different languages. Landau is another lifecycle ritual that is carried out to bless the marriage life of young girls and boys. Yucatec is also a ritual performed on young children, it emanates from the growth stage of a child where it begins to crawl and move around.

The ceremony is initiated by the godparents who offer the children gifts in accordance to their gender. The girl child is either given clothes or threads while the boy is given