A Re-Examination of the New Guinea Highlands Sacred Flute Complex: The Spirit Cries Played During Ommura Male Initiations

This paper describes the use of 'sacred flutes' in male initiation ceremonies in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Most previous discussions of the flutes have regarded them as either reflections of existing social organizations or as symbolic of the dominance of men over women. The alternate approach presented here derives much from the communication theory of Barth — since initiations entail the transmission of knowledge. The notion of creative and stagnant sectors of the ritual carpus — also used by Barth — is also a useful one in interpreting the use of the flutes.