Street baptism: Chicano gang initiation

Initiation into Chicano barrio street gangs has developed over the years into a kind of ''sheet baptism,'' functioning as a rite of passage for the initiate and a rite of solidarity for the gang. At the same time, it fulfills a pragmatic need to screen potential new members for fighting skills and courage valued by the gang as well as some of the psychological needs for youths attempting to cope with adolescent age and gender role identity crises. Most gang members are intitiated at about age 12 or 13 and, for a majority, the ritual simply formalizes the membership toward which participation in street activities had long been preparing them. The initiation typically involves several gang members attacking the prospective member at the same time; the intitiate is expected to fight back, but cannot show any fear or weakness. The severity of the beating inflicted depends both on the initiate's prior standing with the gang (those who grew up with the gang members or who have relatives in the gang fare better) and on the mind-set of those conducting the initiations (severe beatings are far more common when the participants are intoxicated, for example.) Similarities between the ''street baptism'' and male initiation rites in pre-industrial tribal societies suggest that both address similar problems in youths' gender and age role identity resolution.