Rites of Passage: The Sambia Tribe

Rites of Passage: The Sambia Tribe

A ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone's life

"Women belong down below

and men ontop." -Weiyu

Conflict and togetherness of the Sambia Tribe.

Preparation

Fourth stage of initiation

The stage of life

This stage occurs when he is married to a bride obtained by his elders. The bride is usually around the age of 12 or 13 and he cannot start living with the bride until shortly before or after her first period. When having intercourse with her, he can not penetrate too deeply in case he enters her urethra which might make him ill.

Togetherness:

- All men come together to mark their stage of life of becoming a man

- Are isolated from women and share male huts

- The boys entire youth is spent with men

- The boys engage in homosexual activity

Young men are separated from women and are taught how to detach themselves from their mothers and other women in their lives. They need to show they can live without women and prove their masculinity.

"Becoming male warriors"

Fifth stage of initiation

The fifth stage takes place at the time of the wifes period. The man has to make his nose bleed by himself in order to protect himself from his wifes pollution. While having intercourse he must place mint leaves in his nostrils and chew a certain branch so he can't smell her genital odor. After intercourse he must bathe in a bath of mud and make his nose bleed every time his wife has her period. He gets unfriendly with his wife because she pollutes him and endangers his life.

The stage of life being marked by the ceremony is a process of initiation from being a boy to becoming a man.

Sixth stage of initiation

The man receives full rights of his manhood but only after he has proven masculinity by having a child, and preferably two. He must be sure to keep all his secrets of the male cult, even from his wife. If he tells anyone he will have his testicles removed and he will be killed.

Conflict:

- If the boy refuses to go through initiation there is a death penalty

-If the man tells a women about the secrets of his cult his testicles will be removed

-There have been many boys who have not been able to survive this initiation

Sources

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=43265

http://sexual-communication.wikispaces.com/Sambian+Tribal+Sexual+Ritual

http://lrivera0327.tripod.com/

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/02/21/male-rites-of-passage-from-around-the-world/

http://listverse.com/2009/12/28/10-bizarre-rites-of-passage/

Becoming a man is important to the Sambia Tribe because the Sambia believe that in order for a boy to start maturing as a male, he must swallow semen because manhood is created. If a boy doesn't eat semen he is considered small and weak. Through out this entire initiation it is also suggested that the young males get use to the homosexuality and seek out their favorite elder by openly fondling their genital area.

Mandatory or voluntary rite of passage?

Events before the ceremony

In my opinion this rite of passage is mandatory among the Sambia tribe. If a boy does not meet all the standards into becoming a man, then he is considered small and weak, and if he doesn't follow the rules the consequence is death.

Boys from the ages of 6 to 10 will be taken away from their from their mothers and will spend the rest of their youth in the presence of only males in an all male hut. They are taught that women are dangerous and emasculating.

Becoming a man

"during"

There are 6 stages of initiation

First stage initiation

A war leader picks out a sharp stick and sticks it deep inside the boys nostrils until he bleeds alot and then cries. The boy is then to participate in homosexual activity with an older man performing fellatio on him. This is done in order to make them grow and because older men testify that boys are unable to mature into men unless they ingest man milk (semen).

Second stage initiation

The boys continue to take in as much semen as possible which will make them strong, fierce warriors, and leaders. The boys all feast together and this is rewarding to the boys because of their efforts of becoming men while not being around women.

The different roles and responsibilities

Boys between the ages of 6 and 10 and age 21 before marriage are involved in this ceremony. Different roles and responsibilities the members have to take on is to have strength and masculine powers. Boys between the ages of six and ten have to take on the role of homosexuality to become "a man". They have to perform fellatio on men between ages 13 and 21. The boys also now have the responsibilty of keeping the secrets of their cult from women.

Where does it take place?

Third stage initiation

"after"

Interesting information

In the small country of Papua New Guinea

Many boys have gone through this and have not been able to survive the initiation.

It is believed that breast milk is transformed semen therefore it is men who indirectly nourish the baby.

A ceremony of being homosexual known as "the penis and the flute ceremony" where a bamboo flute is played to symbolize fellatio.

The boys become bachelors and start providing the semen instead of consuming it. At the end of the third initiation, the young males are taken to a pandanus tree within the forest. Here they are told to remove a piece of pubic hair and place it in the tree trunk and play the mouth harp. They are told not to be promiscuous during their marriage when they are done with the ritual. The consequence of disobeying is death.

The Sambia believe that a mans tingu (penis) is born shriveled and dried and the only way to fill it is to drink the "man milk".

The 12 or 13 year old wife is taught to perform fellatio before having vaginal intercourse.

Feminization is a degradable characteristic.

The practice of inserting a stick into the nostrils symbolizes strength and the ability to handle pain which is required to become a man.