The ritual for the piercing of ears marks the most important step in a tribal child's coming of age and his initiation into the Munda tribal fraternity. "The ear piercing acknowledges that the child can now participate in the customs and rituals that are a part of our lives and culture," says Amita, who is a Munda tribal and the IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent from district Khunti, Jharkhand. "The piercing can be done anytime and at any age from when the child is still an infant to right before her/his marriage." "If you do not have your ritual piercings, you will never be never be able to find a groom or a bride within the community. So even the most unwilling get their piercings done right before they are planning to get married," adds Amita.