Initiation Ritual

Tyler Bowen
Dartmouth College
October 17th, 2018

Informant Data:

Tyler Bowen is a member of the class of 2021 here at Dartmouth and is a member of the Men’s Rugby Team. He is from Elkhorn, Nebraska. He initially began playing rugby as a kid and wanted to play at the collegiate level ever since.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: This initiation ritual is performed by new members of the Dartmouth Rugby team. It is facilitated by the upperclassmen members of the team and occurs at the practice every Friday.

Cultural Context: Rugby jerseys are specific to their club and are worn during practices and games. Old jersey’s are often considered vintage and are passed down by their wearers to younger generations.

Item:

At the beginning of the season the freshmen get to go through the equipment room and pick out an old jersey that has been passed down by previous players. The jersey does not have to be from Dartmouth and can be from any Rugby club around the world. Once they pick their jersey, every Friday practice after they wear that jersey for practice. After the season they sign their name on the inside of the jersey adding to the many different signatures of players who have worn the jersey before them.

Video Interview: rugby 2-1rkvoi9

Analysis:

In this ritual, the freshmen are separated from the rest of the team to wear the different old jerseys. Over the course of the season, as they wear them each Friday, they transition to becoming a strong part of the team. Finally, they are incorporated with the rest of the team at practices and sign their names in the jerseys following in the footsteps of previous players.

Comparison:

Unlike other rituals we observed, this one does not revolve around a physical task or learning team history. It is purely about making the freshmen feel welcomed into a group to follow the footsteps of players who were on the team many years ago.

Elliot Adams; 22 years old
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
Russian 13 Fall