Guardians of the Flutes: Idioms of Masculinity

Abstract

There is a widespread taboo against homosexuality in the Western sphere of influence. It is thought to be a disease, an aberrancy that is dangerous not only to the deviant, but to the society as a whole. It is equated with failure to fulfill the male role model and with stereotypes of appearance and behavior. Yet some explorations of homosexuality in other cultures indicate that homosexuality may serve a socially accepted and useful function, perhaps as an expression of solidarity among men who must depend on each other in times of crisis. So, it may come as no surprise that an extremely aggressive, war-like, male-oriented society in New Guinea has been found to be universally and mandatorily homosexual from boyhood into late adolescence. During these years,heterosexuality among boys of this group is considered deviant and taboo, and the only way to achieve manhood is to suck repeatedly an