Creative Beading

Krobo Dipo ceremony?

I need to understand more in depth the coming of age ceremony called dipo in Ghana.Krobo is a place in Ghana right? Why are beads so important in this ceremony? I know they represent wealth of the family but why beads? Where does the “Tekpete” (sacred stone) come from, and why is it so important? How is the girl tested to see if she is a virgin or not? and how is the stone used to determine virginity? and at what age are girls more likely to undergo this ceremony? does this ceremony give the girls the passage for marriage even to the ones that are still very young like 6 years of age?

I have listed the site where I read the following.
“The Krobo mark the passage of girls into womanhood by performing a series of rituals known as Dipo.
Dipo rites have been practiced since the eleventh century, and their popularity has not waned despite modern intrusions into traditional Ghanaian culture.
At the beginning of the Dipo ceremony, each initiate enters a ritual house, sheds her clothing, symbolic of childhood, and is dressed anew by her ritual mother.
The morning after shaving their heads, the initiates carry their calabashes to the river to bathe. The washing ceremony is a purification rite to cleanse the body and spirit.
After their ritual bathing, the girls are fed a special meal of water-yam porridge and palm-oil sauce prepared by their mothers.
The initiates are helped by priestresses.
The girls undergo inner and outer transformation with the help of specially appointed Dipo guardians.
The climax of the Dipo initiation ceremony is called the blessing of Tekpete, referring to a legendary sacred stone which the Krobo carried down from Krobo Mountain when the British evicted them from their place of origin in the nineteenth century.
The initiate wears pure white strips of calico around her head and chest.
Each initiate has been splashed with chalky water to ward off any evil forces that might overcome him.
The initiate maintains a contemplative silence by pressing a single leaf between her lips.
The initiate is carried by her father or other family member after sitting on the sacred stone of virginity.
Each initiate has been spashed with chalky water to ward off any evil forces that may overcome her.
Despite the influence of the Christian church in Ghana the Krobo people consider the Dipo ceremony their most sacred an beautiful ceremonial tradition.
The initiates have their heads shaved by their ritual mother.
After blessing the sacred stone of virginity: if a girl is found not to be a virgin, or, worse still, if she is discovered to be pregnant, she risks being ostracized, and will never attract a husband from their own tribe”.
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Thank you

Masai tribe dances, Masai Mara, Kenya