Culminating three weeks of intense ritual instruction, the Outdooring ceremony officially presents Krobo girls as women to the community -- the chiefs, elders, their families and potential suitors. Adorned with layers of glass beads and swathed in lengths of printed and hand-woven fabrics, the girls perform a series of dances, the most energetic being the "adzawale".

The banana-leaf sheath completely covers his penis except for a hole at the end so that he can urinate. He will wear it for the next three months, and during this period must not engage in sexual activity, or cultivate any crops.

As part of their coming out ceremony, the initiates form a procession and walk in single file from house to house, partaking of a special feast of roasted meat and maize meal porridge at each home. Parading through the village, they are admired by the community, and especially by young men looking for prospective wives.

The Biri headdresses, freshly painted for the occasion, are highly revered objects of ritual attire traditionally worn by those about to be circumcised. With the Biri placed on his head, the initiate is ready to participate in a slow, solemn dance called Yayiloon, proclaiming to the community, "I am ready to be cut, I am strong."

The character and form of the Odo-Kuta have evolved from the animistic origins of this once hunter-gatherer people. The circular design represents a model of the world, and the individual's place in it. The masks' power to enforce this model of order is considered absolute, since mask wisdom comes from beyond the human realm, and renders their authority beyond the questioning of man.

Glistening with red ocher body paint, the warriors gather to celebrate Red Dance, the first day of ritual, which is dedicated to the hot, fiery aspect of warrior temperament. In song and dance the warriors celebrate those who have distinguished themselves by killing a lion with their spears.

In a society where adornment and clothing are minimal, body painting serves as an important form of creative expression. The Surma see the body as a canvas on which they can express themselves. Surma men use body painting to intimidate their opponents and increase their power at the time of the Donga stick fights.

Following their arrival in Lobamba, the royal capital, girls from throughout Swaziland ritually bathe in the river and hot spring near the royal palace to cleanse themselves for the ceremony.

Surrounded by admiring guests, the girl twirls in circles and claps her hands rythmically. The many layers of colorful fabrics she wears, including her richly appliquéd skirt, enhance her movements. Reserved for special occasions, dances such as this are only performed at weddings and important Islamic holidays.

For her marriage, a Swahili girl undergoes a series of beauty treatments that mark her transition to womanhood. Her hands, arms, and feet are decorated with a dye made of powdered henna, water, and the juice of unripe limes, which darkens the color.

Standing in a semicircle facing a line of men, the women clap and chant, while one of them dances in the center in the manner of a favorite cow. With her arms raised to imitate horns, the woman stamps her feet as though they were hooves and struts in time to the clapping. When the next dancer cuts in, she leaves the center, flipping up her backskirt in a defiant, flirtatious fashion.

Zulu brides from South Africa wear flaring red headdresses reminiscent of the hairstyle of their ancestors. Married women insert ear plugs of a mosaic design to insure that "the ears of the mind may also hear."

At the coronation, members of the Buffalo Clan flanked the aisle lined with bark cloth leading to the throne. The clansman at center, cloaked with a leopard skin, is one of the traditional bearers of the king. In the past times the Buffalo Clan carried the king on their shoulders; nowadays many have become chauffeurs who transport the king in limousines.

Dinka herders in traditional beaded corsets walk among their cattle in a dry-season camp.

Taking a running jump to launch himself onto the back of the first bull, the initiate attempts to run across the backs of twenty to forty cattle. The boy must take as few steps as possible without falling off, for to do so would bring shame on him for the rest of his life. This initiate repeats his run four times. If he completes this test without faltering, he earns the right to be called a man.

Enclosed in a massive raffia costume, the Zangbeto is a wild spirit who spins and tumbles in front of an audience of terrified and delighted villagers. From time to time, the mask rises unbelievably to a height of more than nine feet, then plunges to the ground and writhes like a gigantic serpent.

The Awo mask, with two small figures standing on its head, portrays two brothers who break social taboo by fighting with one another. Warning of the perils of family feuds, the mask's sparring figures are operated from below by the dancer pulling on strings.

The Senugo of the northern Ivory Coast maintain a distinctive spirit house containing a rich array of objects that help to establish contact with the spirit. The house, called "kargbee" is decorated with spots like feathers of guinea fowl, and with wall reliefs of animals and ancestors. The soothsayer receives petitioners there. The guardian of the spirit house relaxes in the men's resting house.

The large lip plates indicate that the women come from cattle-wealthy families, and their size is symbolic of the number of cattle their parents received as a dowry for their marriage. Two varieties of lip plates are commonly worn: a wedge-shaped plate made of light balsa wood, or a disk of clay.

To begin the ritual, an awesome Kporo mask appears from the forest with its head disguised under foliage and carrying a drum.

At a village in Togo, near the Ghanaian border, mourners celebrate the funeral of Homawu Azanleko Latey, a chief of Ewe descent, who was also renowned as a hunter. His coffin has been designed by the late Kane Kwei's workshop in the form of a leopard, with bristling wooden whiskers and menacing teeth.