along the sea pic River in Papua New
Guinea a group of initiates is about to
enter the final stage of a long and
arduous ritual for six weeks they’ve
been locked away in the hut known as the
spirit house they range in age from 11
years old to more than 30 there is no
set age for the right but no one can
have full status as a man until he’s
done it and the hardest part is still to
come the initiate will be scarred with
the mark of the crocodile the meaning of
the crocodile is ancestral for us Sumida
black page book these cuts tell everyone
to recognize unload as initiated men if
these young sea pick men can suffer
through the pain of being scarred
they’ll be strong enough to shoulder the
burdens of adulthood but Dixon one of
the initiates knows such strength may
come at a steep price last clue flaw in
the last group of initiates they had one
that I did come up so this makes us
afraid let’s lay making play for it it
is the morning of the ritual inside the
spirit house the heroine cutting is
about to begin the initiate sunkens hold
them down as tribal cutters wield the
razors
the men can chew a leaf that has the
effect of a strong drink but they get no
anesthetic to dull the pain the cutters
work diligently making slash after slash
in the initiate tender skin the men’s
bodies are racked with pain through the
long excruciating day
Fidelis fights against the agonizing
pain but his uncle kandar e knows well
but pain is critical to the initiation
knowmaybe must come up mine in order to
become a man he must experience pain for
he’ll remember it later on and he’ll be
able to endure whatever troubles he
faces in the future finally the cutting
is over physically and emotionally
exhausted the initiate SAR carried
inside to recover they have their
hundreds of wounds treated but the touch
of a feather is all there throbbing
aching bodies can bear the cutting may
be finished but they’re not out of
danger yet for Westerners the biggest
concern would be infection but the C fix
actually encourage a controlled
infection smoke irritates the raw wounds
while clay and tree oil limit the
inflammation in the days ahead
this process will turn these cuts into
the highly prized marks of the crocodile
for the next two weeks the men go
through the same routine
they gingerly wash their open wounds
according fresh pain from the cold water
must mean to us if I didn’t wash these
cuts they wouldn’t come up the way I
want it’s a process where we have to
keep doing this for a week or so if you
didn’t do this and you left them they
become big sores and we wouldn’t get the
effect you want
finally the initiate Tsar paraded
outside presentative survivors and true
men ready to assume their new roles as
leaders their scars are a badge of honor
and a sign they’ve completed their
painful journey to manhood
Guinea a group of initiates is about to
enter the final stage of a long and
arduous ritual for six weeks they’ve
been locked away in the hut known as the
spirit house they range in age from 11
years old to more than 30 there is no
set age for the right but no one can
have full status as a man until he’s
done it and the hardest part is still to
come the initiate will be scarred with
the mark of the crocodile the meaning of
the crocodile is ancestral for us Sumida
black page book these cuts tell everyone
to recognize unload as initiated men if
these young sea pick men can suffer
through the pain of being scarred
they’ll be strong enough to shoulder the
burdens of adulthood but Dixon one of
the initiates knows such strength may
come at a steep price last clue flaw in
the last group of initiates they had one
that I did come up so this makes us
afraid let’s lay making play for it it
is the morning of the ritual inside the
spirit house the heroine cutting is
about to begin the initiate sunkens hold
them down as tribal cutters wield the
razors
the men can chew a leaf that has the
effect of a strong drink but they get no
anesthetic to dull the pain the cutters
work diligently making slash after slash
in the initiate tender skin the men’s
bodies are racked with pain through the
long excruciating day
Fidelis fights against the agonizing
pain but his uncle kandar e knows well
but pain is critical to the initiation
knowmaybe must come up mine in order to
become a man he must experience pain for
he’ll remember it later on and he’ll be
able to endure whatever troubles he
faces in the future finally the cutting
is over physically and emotionally
exhausted the initiate SAR carried
inside to recover they have their
hundreds of wounds treated but the touch
of a feather is all there throbbing
aching bodies can bear the cutting may
be finished but they’re not out of
danger yet for Westerners the biggest
concern would be infection but the C fix
actually encourage a controlled
infection smoke irritates the raw wounds
while clay and tree oil limit the
inflammation in the days ahead
this process will turn these cuts into
the highly prized marks of the crocodile
for the next two weeks the men go
through the same routine
they gingerly wash their open wounds
according fresh pain from the cold water
must mean to us if I didn’t wash these
cuts they wouldn’t come up the way I
want it’s a process where we have to
keep doing this for a week or so if you
didn’t do this and you left them they
become big sores and we wouldn’t get the
effect you want
finally the initiate Tsar paraded
outside presentative survivors and true
men ready to assume their new roles as
leaders their scars are a badge of honor
and a sign they’ve completed their
painful journey to manhood
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