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Bridewealth for a Goddess (1999)

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clip Getting ready

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Ru, applying facial paint, speaks about the particular head decorations for the Amb Kor and explains the significance of the colours in terms of their tradition. Professor Andrew Strathern is being painted up, while men are working on Ru’s headdress. Ru is having a beer, which he says strengthens their performance outside the enclosure. The ritual expert reminds men of the method of performance. Men try to clear a pathway on the outside for other men to come through with their performance.

Curator’s notes

by Pat Fiske

The details of the meanings of the head decorations are fascinating. Ru mentions the Men’s House and the Women’s House. The white plume represents Amb Kor and the Women’s House. The red plume represents the Men’s House. In this film, the men are divided into two groups – the Men’s House (Ambungawa) and the Women’s House (Anggainggo).

Both houses, despite the names, were only for the male participants of the cult. The men were separated – a father belonged to the Men’s House and a son to the Women’s House. Stones that represented the power of the Female Spirit were placed in both houses.

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