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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 December 2009
Though information concerning Asmat homosexuality is disparate, independent accounts concur on several basic points. Information concerning the central Asmat and the Casuarina coast Asmat is reviewed separately; results are summarized in conclusion.
Central Asmat
The clearest evidence concerning homosexuality among the populous central Asmat comes from Eyde (1967:206) and Schneebaum (1988:85–87), both of whom emphasize the casual and reciprocal nature of sexual relations between male adolescents who are “bond friends.” Eyde (1967:206) writes,
The two bond-friends are playmates during childhood. At least in some cases the relationship involves homosexual behavior prior to marriage. Such behavior is not strongly disapproved among adolescents. It is discontinued after marriage of the two men. In some cases an older man will choose a young boy as a bond-friend, his aj akap, probably meaning something like “new junior.” This relationship may also involve homosexual behavior until the marriage of the younger partner.
Schneebaum (1988:85f.) documents that bond-friend age mates casually engaged in homosexual liaisons prior to marriage. The pair regularly reversed roles in anal intercourse. Schneebaum (ibid. :42f.) witnessed central Asmat boys matter-of-factly engaging in anal intercourse and then switching roles in the course of private bathing, and he provides a poignant description of this activity.
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