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The Sambia Tribe (New Guinea)

In their tribal villages the Sambia segregate the sexes as much as possible. Men and women each have their own paths and meeting places. The boys have no contact whatever with the girls. The initiation process for them begins somewhere between ages 7 and 10. During the first phase, which lasts until they are about 15, they are expected to suck the penis of a mature boy every night and swallow the sperm. Without regular ingestion of male seed, the Sambia believe, boys will never grow up into strong, mature men.

At first some of the boys dislike having to do this, but gradually all come to enjoy it and often strong ties of friendship are formed between the sucker and the sucked. After puberty the boys enter the second phase of initiation: it is now their turn to provide seed for the benefit of the younger ones. They do this until, at around age 22, they marry. Marriage terminates the young man's homosexual life, since once his penis has penetrated a woman's vagina it is no longer considered clean and it would be dangerous for any other male to touch it.

Herdt 1981, quoted by Brongersma p.29.


The act "normally takes place at riversides under the guise of having a bath."

The man stands over his fellatro, who kneels. At first the little boys object and feel disgusted, but "some older boy-fellators do experience vicarious erotic pleasure from homosexual fellatio, as indicated by their reports (near puberty) of their own erections while fellating a bachelor, or by certain feelings of body sensations during fellation"

"Men also know that boys joke about fellatio among themselves and that initiates favor some bachelors over others in regard to the amount and tast of their semen."

"Among boys, a fellated's penis size is not accorded much importance, whereas his seminal fluid, amount of flow,etc., is."

Bachelors likewise favor certain boys over others: thsoe who are more attractive to them are either more or less sexually aggressive and/or willing to perform fellatio.

Herdt 1984, p. 188-189, 210 and Sorum 1984, p. 323, quoted by Brongersma 1990, p.404.


The Sambia boys not only swallow the sperm, but after sucking they also rub it on their faces and chests in the hope that by so doing it will make them shiny-nosed, glistening and handsome.

Herdt 1981, p.152,236, quoted by Brongersma p.411.


Homosexuality

After 10 to 15 years of exclusive homosexual activity carried on by 100 % of the Sambia population, the incidence of adult homosexual oerientaion is only 5 % - exactly the same as in Western society.

Herdt 1981, quoted by Brongersma p.29.