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Guardians of the flutes /

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"High in the mountains of New Guinea live the Sambia people, a war- like tribe whose secret rituals of initiation are aimed at making their warriors courageous and bold. Only because their culture is threatened have they allowed these initiation rites to be documented on film. This is a society...

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Authors: British Broadcasting Corporation. Television Service, Filmakers Library, inc
Other Authors: Reddish, Paul (Producer), Rodska, Christian (Narrator), Herdt, Gilbert H., 1949- (Contributor)
Format: Video
Language:English
Language Notes:English narration; some segments in Papua New Guinean language with English subtitles; optional English captions for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Published: New York, N.Y. : Filmakers Library, Inc., [1994]
Subjects:
Sex customs > Papua New Guinea.
Sex symbolism > Case studies.
Sambia (Papua New Guinean people) > Sexual behavior.
Sambia (Papua New Guinean people) > Rites and ceremonies.
Masculinity > Papua New Guinea.
Male homosexuality > Papua New Guinea.
Initiation rites > Papua New Guinea.
Vie sexuelle > Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée.
Symbolisme sexuel > Études de cas.
Sambia (Peuple de Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée) > Sexualité.
Sambia (Peuple de Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée) > Rites et cérémonies.
Masculinité > Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée.
Homosexualité masculine > Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée.
Rites d'initiation > Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée.
Initiation rites.
Male homosexuality.
Masculinity.
Sex customs.
Sex symbolism.
Papua New Guinea.
Case studies.
Documentary television programs.
Ethnographic television programs.
Nonfiction television programs.
Video recordings for the hearing impaired.
Documentary.
Online Access:Connect to this streaming video (Alexander Street Press)
Description
Summary:"High in the mountains of New Guinea live the Sambia people, a war- like tribe whose secret rituals of initiation are aimed at making their warriors courageous and bold. Only because their culture is threatened have they allowed these initiation rites to be documented on film. This is a society where the roles of men and women are sharply delineated. They live in separate spaces in their round huts. A woman must crouch if she is in the same space as her husband. Her menstrual blood is considered a pollutant, damaging to her husband's vigor. Male children live with their mothers until they are old enough to move to the boys' house. For many, the separation from their mother is very painful. When it is time for the boys to become men, they undergo a severe initiation. Each is assigned an older guardian who accompanies him during this process. They are thrashed, deprived of food and sleep and have ginger root rubbed into their wounds, which is very painful. The most secret part of the initiation are the sexual rites, which are described by several initiates."--DVD version container.
Item Description:Title from title frames.
Based on: Guardians of the flutes / Gilbert Herdt.
Originally broadcast as an episode of the BBC television series Under the Sun in 1994.
Physical Description:1 online resource (1 video file (approximately 51 min.)) : sound, color.
Playing Time:00:50:59
Production Credits:Photography, Hugh Maynard ; research, Sunita Berry, Mary Colwell ; film editor, Liz Thoyts ; editor, Alan Bookbinder ; anthropologist, Gilbert Herdt.