Towards Baruya Manhood

The Baruya belong to the Anga group of tribes (formerly known as the Kukukuku) of the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. About 1500 Baruya people live in a dozen villages and hamlets in the high, rugged Wonenara and Marawaka valleys. They are agriculturalists and are renowned for the salt which they produce and trade throughout the Eastern Highlands. Every two years or so all Baruya gather together in a great display of strength and unity to initiate a new generation of warriors. It is a time of ritual, instruction and ordeal. French anthropologist Maurice Godelier lived with the Baruya for nearly three years. In 1969, with the consent of the Baruya, he invited the Commonwealth Film Unit (now Film Australia) to co-operate with him in filming initiation ceremonies. The first two films in this series give a general introduction to Baruya life. The remaining seven films form a continuum and follow the initiation ceremonies, from the building of the ceremonial house to the final feast.