Sambia Tribe

Sambia Tribe of

Papua New Guinea

by melissa, maddy and dana

Demographics

• As of 1989, the population of the Sambia was about 2700, with a growth rate of 5%/year.
• Villages consist of 40-250 people.
• There are two confirmed dialects of Sambian language, which are mutually understood.
• They share about 60% of words with the neighboring Baruya tribe ("Sambia", 1998).

Marriage Form

Marriage Forms

Polygyny - powerful men take multiple wives at a weaker mans expense, women are therefore traded with other clans including hostile groups due to short supply

Infant Betrothal - marriage is arranged at the birth of a daughter, the two hamlets involved will avoid direct battle during warfare, they will also give food and assistance to each other in times of need

Brother-Sister Exchange - individual men would arrange to exchange sisters as wives to each other

Bride Service - seen as a last resort for men with no claim on infant girls, this is uncommon due to strong pride in Sambian men, men ingratiate with older men with daughters hoping one may eventually be given to him

Wife Stealing - extreme form of obtaining a bride, occurs when a man steals a woman from an enemy tribe, dangerous as the man risks being attacked and killed ("The Sambia", 2002)

Rules of Marriage

• a woman obtained as a wife must be replaced, her daughter or another woman must be returned by the man recipient as a wife to a man of the donor clan
• heterosexual acts are not allowed until marriage where the boys know how to protect themselves from the dangers posed by their wives
• after marriage, sex cannot be performed in the house, the couple needs to go to the woods instead where they will not be seen ("The Sambia, 2002)

• marriage is another function to which males have to undergo to attain true masculinity
• all men are expected to get married and father children in order to be esteemed whole persons
• this is a conflict between how men view woman as inferior yet only a wife can bring a man full manhood ("The Sambia", 2002)

Fourth & Fifth Stage

Sixth Stage

Video

Third Stage

After years of marriage and sucessfully has a child or two he is a man. He has proven himself a warrior. (Sambia of Papua New Guinea), 2010

The boy is now returned to the village. His fourth step of becoming a man is intercourse at marriage, and once married every mensrual cycle his wife has, he must make his nose bleed. He must bathe in mud after intercourse and always chew leaves. His wife's genital odour endagers his life. (Sambia of Papua New Guinea, 2010)

The boys are slowly becoming men. They are whipped and beaten with quill bones to release all feminin essence remaining in their blood. They must then kill an enemy warrior and ingest his semen, making him a better warrior (Sambia of Papua New Guinea, 2010)

Second Stage

ingestion of semen. The young men must stimulate the elder members and ingest their sperm. They call this "Fallatio" belief to make stronger men and warriors

(Sambia of Papua New Guinea, 2010)

Rite of Passage

first stage

History and Background

Values, Beliefs, Customs, and Behaviors

Boy is removed from his mother and entered into a cult with the other men of the tribe. 7 days with 18 rituals. First step is the elder men insert long sharp sticks of sugar cane into the young boy's nostrils so that he bleeds into the river. (Sambia of Papua New Guinea, 2010)

The Sambia had no direct contact with members of the western world until the late 1950s. Soon after, the government derestricted their land to the outside world (Herdt, 2003).

Until first contact, the Sambia had little to no knowledge of what lay outside of their home, aside from airplane sightings (Herdt, 2003).

The rite of Passage of the Papua New Guinea men is a passage into Manhood, that generally consists of 6 stages following the Charles Van Gennep's threen stage Process (Art of Manliness,2010)

Technology consists of stone tools, bows and arrows. Newly imported materials were introduced over time (Herdt, 2003)

The economy is heavily based on hunting and agriculture.

As of 1974, the Sambia tribe lives in scattered communities throughout scarcely populated rainforest that runs through the Kratke mountains. They originally arrived from the Papuan hinterlands, some 20 years ago (Herdt, 2003).

Gender Roles

Male

Female

Beliefs

• seem as a source of contamination
• play the role of a nurturer, do domestic chores, and work in the garden
• weapons: carry digging sticks
• women spend most of their time with children
• female shamans have power and are respected
• Guardian of the Flute is a woman spirit ("The Sambia of Papua New Guinea", 2002)

• no equality between women and men
• separated from women so their male 'essence' is not contaminated
• conditioned since birth to compete with one another, and establish reputations as marksmen, hunters, and war leaders
• masculine prestige came from ones reputation as a warrior which is tied to mythology
• preoccupied with warfare, keeping watch, and preparing for surprise attacks and often spend time amongst themselves ("The Sambia of Papua New Guinea", 2002)

Customs and Behaviors

Many of Sambia beliefs stem from the idea that women are polluted and distrusted, partially because they are usually from conquered enemy tribes, and partially from their belief in Jerendgu (masculinity is an achievement.)

• Men and women live highly separated lives:
• Each gender stays in different huts - women are forbidden from even nearing the male hut.
• Women must travel on different paths
• Women must never touch a man or his possessions,
• Women must never overstep a man ("The Sambia", 2002)

Beliefs - gender stereotypes control the way Sambian men behave.

• Jerendgu is one of the most powerful concepts, masculinity is not seen as natural or innate instead it has to be achieved through hunting, ritual, or sex
• Havaltnu: to be the same, this usually describes age-mates who are believed to be equivalent, since age-mates are the same sex and age they are constantly compared to each other in terms of their achievements creating competition
• Wogaanyu: aspects like cowardice, fear, physical weakness, and neglect of rituals, being called this is shameful and unmanly ("The Sambia, 2002)