ABSTRACT
Early writings on male cults in the highlands of Papua New Guinea tended to stress the exclusion of women and the collective agency of men. The Female Spirit, Amb Kor, cult in Hagen circulated between groups and was held to renew the fertility of the cosmos and bring health to the community. It was organized by clan leaders, who would invite ritual experts from allied groups to come and participate. The cult performers were divided into two groups: rapa (men’s house) and amb-nga (women’s house). Each man from the rapa was paired with a man from the amb-nga. These couples would perform in absolute unity, always had to be separated in ritual space. Chief aim has been to suggest the applicability of what have called the collaborative model to male cults that are directed towards Female Spirits in Highlands Papua New Guinea.
