“Tribal Penis Gourd”

Jun 20

The Art of Fine Art Photography Blog

“Tribal Penis Gourd”

The traditional Papuan tribal penis gourd (also known as a “koteka” or “horim” or “phallocrypt”) is worn by Papuan tribesmen to hide their family jewels, coins, and bills. Except for their gourds, these men go naked and have no pockets. They somehow manage to stuff their money into the very limited environs of their gourds. So it’s not a culture where you’d want to ask for small change. But more importantly, their gourds preserve modesty all the while concealing prized genitalia, albeit, their testicles are left exposed to full public view. No, these men don’t always sit in “lady-like” positions.

So prepare to expand your previous socially acceptable perceptions when visiting these remote tribes. Their villages are hidden deep within the interior reaches of the Baliem Valley located in the Indonesian state of Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya). Papua shares a rather huge island with the country of Papua New Guinea to the east where warring “payback” societies abound to this day. When one tribe is “wronged” by another, someone must die to clear the debt. The deceased is always buried with his penis gourd prominently displayed.

If you are wondering how the virile warrior men of Papua keep their kotekas erect all day, no, they haven’t yet discovered the modern wonders of Viagra. Their feat is accomplished via simple laws of physics. The protruding tip of the gourd is tied with a thin fiber string that is looped around the upper abdomen. At the base of this elongated penile sheath, a small hole has been pierced with another fiber string that is looped and cinched rather tightly around a blatantly exposed scrotum. When all is firmly secure, you’ll hear the men speak in rather high-pitched tonality.

Penis Gourd Envy

Peer group pressure defines how each tribe wears their gourds. Some men prefer their gourds pointing straight out while others want them pointed straight up, or maybe at an angle, or perhaps protruding in various odd directions. Some rather kinky tribesmen prefer twisted, curlycue gourds. Often they choose shorter gourds when working in the fields during the day and longer, more elaborate virilely-painted gourds for festive occasions or on date nights. Perhaps carnal instincts strike when uncontrolled libido preempts being conservative.

Many of their rather “festive” gourds have feathers attached at the tip. One can’t be sure if this is for tease or temptation. Nonetheless, and contrary to popular belief, the size and erectness of a particular gourd does NOT signify wealth, social status, virility, natural endowment or stamina . . . or so the locals say.

Tribal Penis Gourd - Row of penis-gourd-clad tribal men.

(If you are doubting the veracity of my descriptions, please see this Wikipedia version for verification.)

In the early 1970s the rather conservative Indonesian Muslim government launched “Operasi Koteka” (“Operation Penis Gourd”) to encourage the Papuan men and boys to wear shorts and shirts, which were more “modern.” But the Papuan tribesmen did not have changes in clothing, did not have soap, and were unfamiliar with the care of such clothes. So the unwashed clothing caused skin diseases.

And there were reports of men wearing the shorts as hats.

Eventually, the official (yet ill-advised) government campaign was abandoned. However, today Western clothing is required in government buildings and children must wear Western clothing at school. Nevertheless, in remote tribal villages the old men, virile male teenagers, and young boys still cherish the grandiose display of their indigenous penis gourds while the women and girls seem rather indulgent albeit with undisguised smirks.

Old Papua tribal man wearing penis gourd.

Old Papua tribal topless woman wearing grass skirt.

When tourists trek between Papuan villages, distant drumbeats are often heard—a long-distance audible cue for the next villagers to prepare their wares ready for sale, items to be strewn along a well-trodden path. You might find a few gourds on display but beware of new versus used. A timely tip: If the gourd has a burnt tip, it’s a sure sign some warrior wore it while sitting too close to the campfire one chilly evening during a heated discussion when a half-coconut shell filled with potent homebrew was passed around and long tales of elongated, curly gourds were told.

Most tourists, especially male penis-gourd-souvenir-seeking adventure trekkers, don’t leave Papua without visiting one of the many tribal curio shops where exotic and curvaceous gourds are displayed. Naturally, these shops feature dozens of penis gourds that might satisfy tempting visions of wild, inebriated masculine cosplay back home or at least a quick thrill in the mirror. Gourds of all sizes, shapes, curvatures and weird configurations to satisfy just about any proclivity await your discretion but please don’t ask for a fitting room..

During my Papuan trek I spotted this old tribal codger wearing a rather limp gourd. He didn’t appear to be a happy camper.

Perhaps his mood is indicative of many fiercely testosteronic former tribal warriors in the Baliem Valley, who one day discover they can no longer get their gourds up.

Glen Allison

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There's a penis gourd chapter in my fun book of travel narratives, Penis Gourds & Moscow Muggings, which features humorous stories and poignant insight gleaned from adventures and misadventures during my nonstop, nine-year global marathon in the 1990s. During my journeys to more than a hundred countries, I laugh not at remote tribal cultures but rather at the often laughable narrow mindset of ostensibly "more developed" Western societies that frequently have difficulty celebrating rich cultural differences.