Celebrating menstruation through a strawberry ceremony

1 month_ago 13

New Brunswick·Ann's Eye

A strawberry ceremonial marks the opening of a year-long berry accelerated for young women starting their periods.

Starting your play is an honourable acquisition successful Indigenous communities

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 13, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A miss with brownish hairsbreadth pulled backmost successful a ponytail eats a strawberry.

This is portion of a bid called Ann's Eye, featuring the enactment of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey contented creator. You can see much Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.

Your satellite clip is thing to beryllium ashamed of, according to lensman Ann Paul.

Beginning menstruation is some idiosyncratic and thing supported by your community. For a radical of young girls from Sipayik, besides known arsenic Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Reservation, in Maine, entering the property of puberty is marked by a strawberry ceremony, which celebrates womanhood and the passing of contented betwixt generations.

A strawberry ceremonial besides marks the opening of a year-long berry accelerated and committedness to learning from women elders.

WATCH | How a berry accelerated begins:

Ann’s Eye: Inside a ceremonial for Indigenous girls opening their satellite time

Starting your play is an honourable milestone for young Indigenous women, who volition sometimes instrumentality portion successful a strawberry ceremonial to celebrate.

"When you commencement your period, this is simply a precise honourable thing," said Paul, who attended a caller strawberry ceremony. "It's truthful precious. We're vessels bringing beingness into this world."

Ann accompanied Elder Jeannie Bartiboque of Esgenoôpetitj First Nation, who led the strawberry ceremony, to Sipayik. Scroll done the photos and ticker the video to larn more.

A radical of girls beryllium facing each different successful 2 rows of chairs, leafy boughs dispersed retired connected the level betwixt them.

A pistillate rubs a strawberry connected the forehead of a young girl.

A pistillate wearing a greenish garment and agelong ribbon skirt bends down to manus a young miss immoderate strawberries from a woody container.

A postulation of items are dispersed retired crossed a table, including a handbasket with a feather successful it, woody bowls and patterned cloth.

A pistillate with brownish hairsbreadth pulled backmost successful a bun looks into the region smiling.

A radical of preteen girls stitchery for a photo.

A graphic drafting shows an Indigenous pistillate holding a camera up to her eye.

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities crossed New Brunswick. Click here or connected the representation beneath to spot much of her work.

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