If
you thought just getting through high school, acne, and teenage angst
was a hard enough way to grow up -- wait till you see these terrifying
male rites of passage from around the world.
Vanuatu Land Diving
For
starters, check out this image of what males in Vanuatu have to do to
become a man. Land diving looks a bit like bungee jumping, but it's way
scarier! The divers leap off wooden towers that can be nearly 100 feet
high -- with only 2 tree vines tied around their ankles for safety.
All
around the world, various cultures put their young men through bizarre
and frightening initiation rites on their journey to manhood. These
destinations might not make the best spots for family vacations, but you
can click through to see what you're missing out on!
#1
Satere-Mawe Bullet Ant Glove
You've
got to be tough to live in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. And if
you're a boy from the Satere-Mawe tribe you have to prove your readiness
to become a man by enduring an intense amount of pain without making a
sound. Bullet ants have a sting that is unbelievably painful. These ants
are woven into a glove which the boys have to wear for minutes at a
time -- without making a sound. If a boy can make it through the ordeal
several times he shows that he's ready to be a warrior of the tribe.
#2
Hamar Cow Jumping
Boys
of the Ethiopian tribe of Hamar go through a unique rite of passage --
cow jumping. Once the cows are all properly lined up, the boys have to
leap from cow to cow, down the whole row without falling. It's harder
than it sounds! And if a boy fails in the attempt, then he's not allowed
to get married. Also part of the ceremony -- whipping of the women of
the tribe!
#3
Maasai Lion Hunting
Traditionally,
the rite of passage for a boy in the Maasai tribe involved a terrifying
challenge. He had to hunt and kill one of the most feared of all wild
animals -- the lion. Being chosen to participate in the lion hunt
allowed a boy to show his bravery and fighting skills, and prove his
worth as a warrior. Not something for the faint of heart!
#4
Bali Teeth Filing 5 of 16
In
Bali, a traditional rite of passage for both boys and girls is to get
their teeth filed. Supposedly, the teeth symbolize animals. Filing them
is believed to ward off all these evils -- anger, greed, lust,
drunkenness, jealousy, and confusion. Sounds like a bad trip to the
dentist!
#5
Australian Aboriginal Walkabout
A
traditional manhood ritual for Australian Aboriginals is to take a
journey of self-discovery known as a walkabout. To undertake this
solitary journey -- which can be up to 6 months long -- a boy needs to
be extremely brave as he learns how to survive on his own in the
wilderness of the Australian outback.
#6
Sepik Crocodile Scars
If
you're a male of one of the Sepik tribes in Papua New Guinea you need
to endure a painful process of "scarification" on your journey to
manhood. After a boy is lacerated with bamboo sticks on the chest, back,
and buttocks, his scars take on the look of crocodile scales. He
effectively becomes a "crocodile man."
#7
Matis Frog Poison
The Matis tribe in Brazil doesn't mess around when it comes to its manhood rituals, which include:
- Poison applied directly to the eyes
- Beatings and whippings
- Injecting frog poison into a burnt area of skin
#8
Algonquin Hallucinogen
To
become a man in the Algonquin tribe of Quebec, a boy was given a drug
which was supposed to make him lose all his memories of childhood. If
the boy somehow managed to survive the ordeal but still remembered his
childhood, the whole process would start over!
#9
Sambia Nosebleed
Boys
in the Sambia tribe of Papua New Guinea are separated from their
mothers at the age of 7 to go live in an all-male hut. There they
toughen up with some extreme manhood rituals, including forced
nosebleeds, beatings, and even drinking the semen of grown men. Yikes!
#10
Australian Aboriginals May Lose a Tooth
Walkabout
isn't the only Australian Aboriginal manhood ritual. In some tribes it
was traditional for a boy to have a tooth knocked out with a stone as
part of becoming a man. And while circumcision is a rite of passage for
boys in many parts of the world, it was particularly gruesome for some
Aboriginal boys -- who also actually had to eat their own foreskin
during the ceremony.
#11
Fulani Whip Match
Fulani
boys in Benin, West Africa each choose a stick, sharpen it -- and then
battle it out in pairs in the fight to become a man. After each boy has
given 3 blows, the crowd decides on the bravest, who is then declared
the winner.
#12