ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the locale and general characteristics of Mescalero, and then to the central ceremony of the Mesealero Apache — the Girls' Puberty Rite. Besides the music, there are other relevant cultural facts about Mescalero that illuminate the special qualities of the girls' ceremony. The girls' puberty rite is a five-day, four-night public ceremony followed by four more days of private contemplation. Traditional music is often not sung publicly, and it is not used frequently, but instead saved for important functions. As is clear from the song structure and from previous descriptions of the music, repetition is a central feature of the music. The girls' puberty rite of the Mescalero Apache is a cohesive, balanced, beautiful ceremony celebrating one of the most important events in the life of any society — the coming to fertility of a woman.
