Rituals of Manhood: Male Initiation in Papua, New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

How difficult is it for you to understand and respect other cultures?

Well, I think that many of you will agree that it  is sometimes a little difficult to see other cultures without judging them.  In my opinion, we should always do research before judging because once we know all the underlying factors for a ritual or a belief, it will be easier for us to understand them.

In the previous videos, you could witness one of the most peculiar rites done in a place called  Papua, New Guinea, a place many consider unique in regards to its beliefs,traditions, rites, celebrations, and lifestyle.I think many outsiders  will immediately judge those rites, and qualify them as  unacceptable or will claim that those rites are  a clear violation to human rights. That's why I will give you some information about Papua and about this particular rites of manhood which will give you an insight into this culture.

General Information

Official Name: Independent State of Papua New Guinea

Geography: Land area: 462,860 sq. km.; about the size of California. Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, north of Australia, and many outlying islands. The Indonesian province of West Papua (Irian Jaya) is to the west. To the north and east are the islands of Manus, New Britain, New Ireland, and Bougainville, all part of Papua New Guinea. About one-tenth larger than California, its mountainous interior has only recently been explored.

Terrain: Mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills. The largest portion of the population lives in fertile highlands valleys that were unknown to the outside world until the 1930s, but that supported agriculture some 10,000 years ago, possibly before agriculture was developed elsewhere. 

People: Population (2007 est.): 6.3 million.

Languages: Three official languages are English, Tok Pisin, and Motu. There are approximately 860 other languages.

Religion: About two thirds of the population is Christian, with Roman Catholics and Lutherans; the rest follow traditional beliefs.

Male Initiation in Papua, New Guinea.

In the videos, you could watch some of the stages of  male initiation process every boy has to undergo in order to become a man and a fierce warrior.  In this culture, young boys have to go through  several stages so that they become men and fierce warriors. The stages and practices in each of the stages vary from tribe to tribe, and the described below are usually the ones that are particular of the highlands  and the Sambia tribe of Papua, New Guinea.

      The first video  represents the first stage in which boys are taken from their mothers and introduced to the first of many painful experiences they will have to face to become men. In this first stage, they will have a ceremony in which a war leader picks out a sharp stick of cane and sticks it deep inside the boys nostrils until he bleeds freely into the stream of a pool. The men believe that by bleeding  they get rid of the women's contaminated blood and fluids from childbirth, and that's considered a vital step in the process of becoming a man. In this stage, in the tribes  Sambia and Etoro, boys are also introduced into the practice of ingesting what they call "male milk" which they consider is an essential ingredient in the transition from boy to man. Most of the time, this necessary ingestion of semen takes place by fellatio performed by the newest initiates to the male elders or even by anal intercourse. 

   The second video is about the final stage some tribes located in the middle Sepik region in  Papua New Guinea have to go through to be recognized as an initiated man. This is the stage of scarification in which men will get the "Crocodile Scars." In this ceremony, the skin on the chest, back and buttocks of the initiate is cut with a bamboo sliver to test how strong they are and their self- discipline. Later, the scars will represent the teeth marks of the crocodile which mean the the initiates were reborn as crocodile-men. 

   There are several other stages boys undergo in the process of becoming men in many tribes of Papua New Guinea; However, this space will be not enough to cover all of them. Besides, the purpose of this post is for you to have an insight into the two practices presented in the videos, blood initiation and scarification initiation. I hope that now you know a little bit more about the underlying factors and meaning that these two practices have for these tribes, you will be more objective when analyzing or trying to understand their culture.

   

Sources: Rituals of manhood: Male initiation in Papua New Guinea by Gilbert H. Herdt 

             Male Initiation Ceremonies , Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea Scarification

            National Geographic Videos

            

   I will appreciate your comments and opinions about these practices in Papua New Guinea, let's share what we think about their ceremonies and beliefs, and let's be sincere. To leave a comment, just click below comments or post a comment.