blog #3

This week we were introduced to rituals. “A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers (Wiki).” Rituals symbolically communicate ideas and values to both participants and observers. In the documentary, “Guardians of the flutes,” the people of New Guinea have an unusual ritual. The young boys of age 7 to 10 must
be initiated into adulthood through a certain rite of passage ritual. The boys
are taken from their mothers permanently and are not allowed to return to the
village until they are ready for marriage. The boys are thrashed with sticks
and it is said that the pain lasts for hours. There are many practices
representing the female menstrual blood and it is important to cleanse the boys
of anything related to the women because it will make them weak. It seems that
the men are afraid of the women; they fear that women make them weak. The men
must defend their village and be on guard at all times from ambushing tribes. The
men must do everything they can possibly think of to keep them strong. The boys
cannot produce their own seamen; they must get that strength from the warriors.
The boys must suck the seamen from the warriors in order to be able to make it
themselves. Seamen represents strength. The boys eat seamen and the women eat
seamen so they can be strong. The boys must become warriors and the women must
have babies.


This was not the first time I
watched this video, so it was not as shocking for me. I have had a few years to
think about this concept. This video is what really got me interested in
Anthropology and why I am an Anth minor. The concept of removing yourself from
your own societal norms and beliefs and looking at a culture from their
perspective is a very noble ability. You really have to try to be open-minded.
I feel that some of the students in the class are not even trying to
understand. That is quite annoying. If you have grown up in that society then
it makes complete sense. This way has worked for thousands of years producing
unstoppable warriors.