Men,
especially of this Blackwater region in Papua New Guinea are isolated
for over a month of initiation practices while receiving the crocodile
tattooing. The initiates, ranging from adolescent to adults, succumb to
sleep deprivation while entering an other-worldly mental state. They
partake in feasts and are coached in the secrets of their elders.
After
two weeks of rituals the elders inflict deep painful gashes with razor
blades into the backs and chests of the men. The bleeding symbolizes the
draining of their mother’s blood in order to make them stronger. The
open wounds are packed in mud, silt and exposed to smoke, so they will
keloid, giving the scars a raised emulation of the crocodile skin. Their
scars are a badge of honor and a proud symbol of their finality into
manhood.
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