New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland. With less than one per cent of the planet's land area, it contains up to "10% of the total species on the planet." In West Papua, part of Indonesia, there may be as many as 44 uncontacted tribal groups. A trip to visit any of the people on the island is a real eye opener (See photos from the Goroka Show, an annual tribal show in the PNG highlands).
Based on conversations we had on a trip along the Sepik River, which is in the country of Papua New Guinea, on the eastern side of the island, we wrote earlier about male initiation rites, here. Here is a brief excerpt:
“We believe the father gives us the knowledge but the blood comes from the mother and so it must return to her. So my mother’s brother came from another village.
“The night of the skin cutting we stayed up all night. When it was very late the men made us go into the water and stay for one hour so our skin would get soft. Ohhh, it was so cold!
Lawrence massaged his temples.
“When it was time I laid down on top of my mother’s brother. So the blood would fall on him. And they cut me.”
With a flourish he raised his right sleeve to show the results.
“Sometimes they cut your back but I asked they only cut my arms because I had to go back to work. “
He had to have time to heal. But he didn’t heal. He was infected.
“I asked for medicine but my grandfather refused. He asked me, ‘What have you done wrong?’ I said nothing, nothing over and over but he kept asking me until finally I admitted I had stayed with my girlfriend the night before.
Read the entire article on the "Sepik River, Papua New Guinea."
That's male initiation rites. Now comes a video describing female initiation rites. Have a look:
(See photos from Papua New Guinea in the Papua New Guinea Gallery on EarthPhotos.com.)
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