Various Papua New Guinea Tribes
Members of the Marind Tribe, Papua New Guinea. Image Source: Wikipedia
The Etoro tribe in New Guinea is known for its belief that each man’s “life force” is contained in semen. Similar to Ancient Greek same-sex rites, they commonly have boys perform ritualized fellatio on older men, thereby passing on the life force from one generation to the next. This has the effect of privileging a male’s status to a woman’s, to the point that heterosexual intercourse is prohibited for up to 260 days of the year and is forbidden in or near their houses and vegetable gardens. Homosexual relations, however, are permitted at any time as the “life force” exchange is believed to make crops fertile.
In the same Oceanic country of Papua New Guinea, the Marind tribe—also known for their cannibalistic practices—believes, like the Etoro, in the semen/life-force concept and utilizes it in ritual ceremonies before heterosexual marriage. The Sambia tribe in PNG has similar beliefs and practices. Of course, it should be noted that this version of homosexuality could not be farther removed—geographically, practically, and philosophically—from the gay rights debate in the United States and Europe.
