Many Paths to Manhood
Throughout history, cultures have devised myriad practices and rituals to make boys into men. The methods—often secret and sacred—vary widely and continually evolve, says cultural anthropologist Gilbert Herdt. But they also share some universal themes that broadly reflect a community’s values and the roles its men are expected to play.
TAP IMAGES FOR MORE
Strength and
Resolve
Marriage and
Children
Pledging
Fealty
Performing
Religious Rituals
Extreme Masculine Behavior
Sparta - 800 B.C.
At seven, Spartan boys left their families for boarding schools to test their strength and resolve. Military training included forming erotic bonds with older boys to encourage loyalty in battle and enduring severe beatings to build toughness.
Now: Many cultures promote tests of strength. Boys in Papua New Guinea’s Sambia tribe are separated from their mothers at age seven and must undergo secret initiation rites involving nose bleeding and performing oral sex on men.
Rome - 27 B.C.
With Rome maturing as an empire and slaves outnumbering citizens, boys in their mid-teens were urged to marry early and produce children. Only then would they be considered men and full citizens with rights and status.
Now: In numerous societies marriage remains primarily defined as a religious ritual that, for young men, can be considered an entry into adult maturity, morality, and masculine social roles.
England - 1600
A teenage squire’s road to knighthood required apprenticing with a knight, pledging fealty on a holy artifact to the king, competing in fighting and jousting matches, being confirmed as a Christian, and joining a Crusade to the Holy Land.
Now: In the Pacific’s Trobriand Islands, a pubescent boy leaves his family to join a group house and be tutored by a maternal uncle. Submitting to this mentor shows respect for his ancestors and commitment to his community.
Hawaii - 1700
Boys from high-ranking families served close to the king and inherited their status as adults. If a teen from a lower status family fought well in battle or demonstrated healing powers, he might earn non-inherited status as a warrior, priest, or magician.
Now: In contemporary India, lower caste Hindu males try to prove their piety and courage and gain status through rituals, such as walking barefoot over burning coals during festivals or wrestling bulls at harvest celebrations.
Great Plains - 1900
A Lakota teenager would be old enough to perform religious rituals such as the Sun Dance. Men and boys taking part in this rite had to stare at the sun while being supported by ropes attached to pegs pierced through their skin.
Now: Boys of Liberia’s Kpelle tribe are secluded for four years of secret initiations, instruction, ritual circumcision, and male-only ceremonies said to have been created by the gods for men to gain supernatural powers needed for survival.
Italy and U.S. - 1930
In Sicily and Chicago, Mafia groups gave rise to extreme masculine behavior, defined by violence and terror, and conditional masculine behavior, where status depends on being in the group and leaving can mean the loss of manhood, or even one’s life.
Now: Terrorist groups such as ISIS demand that initiates commit acts of extreme violence. They often force members to disavow traditional markers of manhood, such as upholding responsibilities to their families and communities.