The Cherokee natives have a very special ritual through which children become adults.
When the boy begins his adolescence, his father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
The young man is required to sit on a log all night and cannot remove the blindfold until the sun’s rays shine again at dawn.
He cannot ask for help from anyone. But once he survives the night, he is a man. This is a personal experience and the young man is forbidden to discuss or speak about his experience with other boys.
During the night, naturally, the young man is terrified.
He can hear all kinds of noises: wild beasts prowling around him, wolves howling… or perhaps even a human who could harm him.
He hears the wind blowing and the grass rustling, but he must remain seated stoically on the log, without removing the blindfold, as this is the only way he can become
A man stands before the elders of his tribe. Finally, after that horrible night, the sun appears and the boy takes off his blindfold… that’s when he discovers his father sitting next to him.
His father has not left his side even for a moment, keeping watch during the night in silence, ready to protect his son from any danger without him realizing it.
