The Sambia people also known as the Simbari Anga [1] are a tribe of mountain-dwelling, hunting and horticultural people who inhabit the fringes of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea , and are extensively described by the American anthropologist Gilbert Herdt. In his studies of the Sambia, Herdt describes the people in light of their sexual culture and how their practices shape the masculinities of adolescent Sambia boys. The full initiation is reported to start with members of the tribe being removed from their mothers at the age of nine. The Sambia people believe in the necessity of gender roles within their culture. Relationships between men and women of all ages, within this tribe, are complex, with many rules and restrictions. For example, boys are removed from their mothers at age seven, to strip them of contact with their mothers.

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Imperative to the processes and teaching of the initial ceremony is the notion that women can be dangerous to men. Much of the initiation and training is characterised by what some have deemed to be highly erotic and sexual. Throughout much of the 6 stages, the act of having the stick of cane inserted into the nostrils and the performance of 'fellatio' are integral to the process of becoming a man. While many of us might view the practice of inserting the cane stick into the nostrils as being 'inhumane', because of the obvious infliction of pain and injury to the body, for the Sambia it is a symbol of strength and his ability to sustain pain, which is a needed requirement of a warrior. Additionally, the act of performing fellatio and the act of ingesting semen is seen as an integral part of manhood because boys are unable to mature into men unless they ingest semen and they adhere to the notion that all men have, 'eaten the penis'.
Ritual Homosexuality of the Sambia
Their territory comprises the southern slopes of Mt. Sisa , along the southern edge of the central mountain range of New Guinea , near the Papuan Plateau. They are well known among anthropologists because of ritual acts practiced between the young boys and men of the tribe. The Etoro believe that young males must ingest the semen of their elders to achieve adult male status and to properly mature and grow strong. The Etoro believe that they each contain a certain amount of life force , the highest concentrations of which are contained in semen. This life force passes to others through sexual relations. Women are seen to waste the life force if they do not get pregnant after sexual intercourse.
Gilbert H. Herdt, an anthropologist and professor at San Francisco State, studied in Papua, New Guinea doing field work for approximately two and a half years. During his time, he studied and explored the Sambia pseudonym , a tribe located in the Eastern Highlands. The Sambia people are known to be mountain, horticultural people surrounded by rivers and valleys, where the men spend their time hunting. Men also garden, as do the women. The tribe is approximately 2, people living in small housing settlements.