kilts (and accessories) around the world
http://westpapuafree.wordpress.com/2008/…
“Penis gourd” is Tok Pisin for “sporran”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penis_sheat…
Men from Tiom wear a double gourd, held up with a strip of cloth, and use the space between the two gourds for carrying small items such as money and tobacco.
“Hey, buddy, got a smoke? … uh…yeah…nevermind…”
In 1971-1972 the government launched “Operasi Koteka” (“Operation Penis Gourd”)
“Operation Penis Gourd” ?
OK, my day has already been made.
…which consisted primarily of trying to encourage the people to wear shorts and shirts because such clothes were considered more “modern.”…
Missionaries in the 1950s attempted to alter the local customs by forcing locals to wear shorts. Many of the Dani … could be seen wearing shorts with their kotekas sticking out of them.
Nice!
…western clothing is required in government buildings, and children are required to wear western clothing in school. Kotekas are still considered acceptable attire in church, however.
Wow.
And who can forget the gourd that was actually a discarded coke can?
OK, with this distraction out of the way, we now return to our regularly scheduled anti-government ranting.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Not to mention the anthropological observation that the men flick their… kotekas… when they are nervous.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:18 am
I have a penis gourd! It’s Indonesian (maybe from Sumatra? I forget) rather than Papuan. Do you remember my friend Rob from New Mexico? It was given to me by his ex-girlfriend, after he moved out. He left it behind, and she didn’t want it any more because, I don’t know, it brought back painful memories or something. So I inherited it. The opening is quite small. It may be a child’s penis gourd.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
The opening is quite small.
I’m curious – how small is small?
May 14th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
The opening is quite small.
I’m curious – how small is small?
I will take a measurement and get back to you. Get out your calipers.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:32 am
“she didn’t want it any more because, I don’t know, it brought back painful memories or something.”
…
June 13th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
ouch I am sure it brought back painful physical memories!
October 30th, 2008 at 1:28 am
National Geographic in the Seventies had a story mentioning two tribes called (iirc) the Big Namba, who wore grandiose ornaments like this one (but attached at the shoulder rather than standing out straight), and the Little Namba, whose sheaths were more modest.