ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT. This paper explores the meaning of Kimam (Irian Jaya) male ritualized homosexual behavior by placing the behavior within a broad cultural context. It demonstrates that males claim to foster the growth of yams and to make men from boys by manipulating the processes of fertilization. One aspect of this manipulation involves the transfer of sperm from older males to boys. Exploration of Kimam ideas of death and burial rituals suggests that members of one village sector see their fertility as under attack by males of the opposite sector. At the conclusion of mor tuary ceremonies, the two sectors engage in competitive feasts in which the successful control of fertility is symbolized by the presentation of fin ished products of male vitality: yams and children, especially boys. The analysis indicates that an understanding of homosexual behavior requires that attention not be restricted to the sexual behavior itself, but rather in clude various domains of meaning associated with it.
