ABSTRACT
In all societies the trajectory of the life course is marked by the life stages of childhood, adulthood and old age. Although having a physiological basis, the different expectations and responsibilities inherent to each stage are culturally and socially constructed, and the social signifi cance of transition from one stage to another is often marked ritually as a rite de passage. This can involve, for example, an elaborate initiation ceremony, accession to wealth, the bestowal of symbolic gifts or tokens, entry to a special type of dwelling, or admittance to the ranks of those with special knowledge or wisdom. In traditional societies, the most complex, dangerous, painful and emotionally charged rituals tend to be associated with the transition from childhood to adulthood, whilst the transition to old age is a more gradual process accompanied by a change in status to an elder. Elders are often revered as a fount of wisdom, for they are perceived to be the custodians of judicial and ritual power and as such must be respected.
