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.
Credit: Alison Wright
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