Title: Gummy Worm Rital

General Information about Item:

• Genre: Customary Folklore: Rituals, Tradition

• Language: English

• Country: United States of America

Informant Data:

Raegina Hill, aged 21, is a Director of Ujima who joined the group her freshman fall (2014). She is a senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Anthropology with a concentration in Biological Anthropology and minoring in Theater. Raegina was born, raised, and currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Before Ujima, Raegina had six years of dance experience with hip hop, theatrical dance, high stepping, and cheer.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: The entire team participates in the Gummy Worm Ritual. New members receive a gummy worm while old members look on. This ritual occurs at the beginning of every school year after new members are selected during auditions. The ritual originated at the group’s founding, and Raegina first learned of it when she participated during her freshman fall.

• Cultural Context: Ujima is a fun dance group focused on creating a second family for their team members. This ritual is not only enjoyable for both groups, but also establishes loyalty between old members and new members. Many other groups on Dartmouth’s campus have initiation rituals to establish new bonds, and the Gummy Worm Ritual is reflective of that culture.

Item:

As part of their initiation into Ujima, new members are asked to close their eyes while a gummy worm is placed in their hand. Old members ask new members to eat the gummy worm in order to establish trust within the group.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file): Video

Transcript of Associated File:

“So, we started a new tradition when we let members know that they’re in. We make them close their eyes and hold out their hand, and we place a gummy worm in their hand but they don’t know what it is and they start freaking out. And it’s really just like, ‘You should trust us. We’re never going to do anything that’s bad to you or make you feel uncomfortable,’ and they still freak out anyway even though it’s just a gummy worm. And when they finally eat it, it’s just like, ‘Why was I freaking out? You guys said that you weren’t going to make me feel uncomfortable.’ And it’s just really fun to watch.”

Informant’s Comments:

This ritual is a fun and safe initiation tool for young and old members alike.

Collector’s Comments:

This exercise is unique because it establishes trust in two directions. First, older members are able to test the younger members’ commitment and loyalty to the group. Second, new members begin to trust that older members will not let them down.

Collector’s Name: Marcus Reid

Compiled/Analyzed By: Shinar Jain

Tags/Keywords:

• Ritual
• Tradition
• Dance
• Team