Papua New Guinea, Gera Chief Castrating Goat, 1983
Papua New Guinea, Gera Chief Castrating Goat, 1983

Papua New Guinea, Gera Chief Castrating Goat, 1983 - Gera's chief castrated this goat. Although this photograph is grotesque, I felt it was important. The villagers clearly enjoyed the proceeding. At first I thought they were cruel and primitive for expressing joy while the poor animal screamed. Then I reflected that in my own modern society, many animals are slaughtered for food, but I am insulated from it. It takes place on ranches and in meat factories, far from the sensibilities of everyday people. In Melanesian society, the realities of survival were dealt with directly. It really was not more primitive, just more direct, hence more realistic. This was revelatory for me.

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