National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
National Geographic, July 1977
Boastings of male superiority, agile dancers in a prenuptial rite portray the sun and moon. Just as the celestial bodies loom above all, so do men see themselves as dominating Gimi life. Light radiated symbolically by gestures and body decorations represent mens' knowledge of the world, for they often travel beyond the village while woman remain at home. A bark mask worn by the sun highlights the eyes, centre of awareness; a castoff rubber glove draws attention to a moonbeam hand.
National Geographic, July 1977
Gimi people of Papua New Guinea: Linked by an "umbilical cord" at a ritual, a young man and his mother dramatize maternal influence, rarely acknowledged publicly. The author traces much of the antagonism between the sexes to women's pervasive role in raising male children and to fathers' attempt-through initiation rites-to transform boys into men.
National Geographic, July 1977
Possum, leaves, and medicinal bark, traditional meal for a new mother and her midwives, are cooked in a shallow pit by an elder. Wild creatures and plants of the deep forest are considered potent sources of fertility by the Gimis.
National Geographic, July 1977
Timeless ritual of youth: Dressing up like adults. With an eye to detail, Samantha (the author's daughter) and her friends (Gimi children of Papua New Guinea) mimic a fertility dance that woman perform before a marriage or during male initiation. Decorated with clay and wearing poinsettias in their hair, the girls imitate the undulations of a rain-swollen stream. Split bamboo rolled between their palms produces a rhythmic clicking.
National Geographic, July 1977
A Gimi dancer, dressed as a huge bird, the flightless cassowary, dramatizes the mysteries of the forests.
National Geographic, July 1977