Ice dodging is a rite of passage for young members of the Southern Water Tribe and a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust. When a tribe member reaches the age of fourteen, their father takes them out to sea in a sailboat, where the young individual is challenged to take over and sail the ship safely through dangerous, iceberg-filled waters. The father remains in the boat to observe, but does not interfere. If the child succeeds, they receive a mark on their forehead in cuttlefish paint that symbolizes the virtue they demonstrated most prominently during the test.