Robert@PNG

From boys to men…

Recent story in The Post Courier…

Ritual that instills values

Identified adult males only are allowed entry.
Unnecessary people –– out!
For 30 days, 24 young boys, ages ranging from 15 to 25 have been locked up
inside that “banis” (secluded area). No food, no water and no comfort. It is a
life and death experience.
A fence was constructed with soft bush timber and covered with palm leaves
transparent from either side. Inside that fence was a shack built with sago palm
leaves with both rears touching the ground level. That shack has been their home
for the past 30 days.
What happened inside is secret. It is all men’s talk and done the men’s way.
It’s all discipline. I mean total discipline. No one is allowed outside of that
fence.
No family member or friend was allowed entry. What transpired inside this shack
and within the periphery of the banis were all rituals – rituals that will bring
good fortune, joy and happiness to these young boys. They went in as teenagers
but on February 19, they came out as adults, ready to do men’s work, equipped
and trained to become mature adults.
This reporter was given special permission and has to go through specific ritual
acts to uncover some of the dying Bel culture of Madang Province.
At Siar village, just 10 minutes from Madang town, these young schoolaged boys
were locked behind bars of culture for 30 solid days without food and water.
They went into the houseman (men’s house) on December 19 and graduated with
distinction a month later.
They were identified among their peers by their parents and okayed to under-go
this life-changing experience. It is a minute Siar version of Burnett’s
Survivors program that you can think of.
A month ago, a huge party was hosted in Siar. Parents, family members and
friends of these boys came together to farewell them off into oblivion.
Tears were shed and hug after hug was exchanged as the boys were seen off for
the last time.
What happened after that is unthinkable and there’s very little I can tell you
now, because it is all secret. The parents and friends know the sacrifice of
allowing their son into the hausman. It is a soul-searching decision. Whether
their son or friend would return alive is not guaranteed. It is a life and death
decision.
Like the Biblical testimony of Jesus in the wilderness, without food and water
for 40 days and nights, the 24 boys from Siar village left the comfort of their
nice food, house, water or any perfection of life to be part of this adventure.

During their time in the hausman, these boys were taught many life-experiences.
The elders of the village were invited to give verbal advice of wisdom on how to
look after themselves. What to do and what not to. Tales and folklore depicting
identified creatures were shared to show their significance to human nature. The
yellow-fin tuna was specifically identified and the boys were told to go
swimming as early as 3 o’clock in the morning. Under strict supervision and
hausman rule, the boys had no objections.
They woke up at 3am and had to go out to the sea. With the twilight, they were
instructed to sink deep into the ocean and breeze off with the cold mountain/sea
breeze.
They ate nothing but a single kalapua (banana), roasted over an open fire twice
a day — one for breakfast and the other for dinner.
This piece of banana was swallowed with the aid of a ginger crushed to form a
lump of saliva. No water was allowed. Only sugar cane if one is available.
Everybody was treated equally. One makes a mistake and all received the same
punishment – a slap on the palm.
When one felt sick, he was treated with special herbs. No pharmaceutical product
was used. Even the wounds received during major operations healed over-night.
Really, very strict and stringent strategies were followed.
It was party time again after a month of seclusion. The boys were decorated in
red - the color of the red reef fish. Each boy had an uncle that supervised him.
The uncle made sure that on graduation day, the boy has a plate, pot, cup, spoon
and other essential household item. The boy is not supposed to go back to his
parents. He will be living by himself in a house-boy for the next two to three
months. The young adult will be cooking and feeding himself — not depending on
his parents. It is a sign of manhood.
What transpired that Saturday afternoon at around 3pm was very moving.
Decorated in full regalia, the boys loaded into two boats and were officially
presented to the whole village. In a single line, the young adults showed their
manhood by marching through the whole village with pride and perfection. Young
girls and mothers were not allowed anywhere closer.
From a distance, the mothers openly wept, signalling a new chapter in their
son’s future. A feast was launched when the boys finally returned for re-union
with family and friends. But what was more significant was the sense of respect
accorded to these young boys when they finally made their way to their homes.
Their parents, friends and peers know that they are no longer boys. They are now
adults.
Although Moska is 17, he is now an adult. Mama Aki is now certain that whenever
Moska wants to get married, she knows he is ready — no question will be asked.