Koteka - penis guard

Indonesia unique cultures,

The penis gourd " or koteka " is a dried out, hollow gourd which men slip over their penises to cover their genitals. Outside of urban centres, the gourd is standard male attire found throughout the highlands. It is an unusual clothing form that has come to symbolize West Papua in many parts of the world.

Did you know that men from the Papuan highlands do not choose their penis gourds on the basis of size or other seeming signs of prestige? On the contrary, men choose gourds similar to those worn by other men in their cultural group. Yali men, for example, favour a long, thin gourd. This shape helps hold up the multiple rattan hoops Yali men like to wear around their waist. The gourd keeps the hoops from slipping on the south end, and a string tied around the waist and onto the gourd manages to hold everything in place. The hoops give Yali men a hefty girth. When fully decked out, some men are almost as wide as they are high!

In contrast, some eastern highlanders like to wear a large, thick gourd, almost half a metre long in some cases. They tie the gourd close to their chest with a thick red band of cloth. Apparently, some of these gourds are so capacious that travelers on long highland treks will often store items such as cigarettes and money in them. It's as safe and dry a place as any. Men in the Baliem valley, on the other hand, prefer a simple medium sized gourd held in place by a thin string tied around the waist.
A gourd is a piece of clothing. Without it, men consider themselves naked. Just as people look to facial and bodily decorations to establish a stranger's tribal identity, so too do those in the know look to penis gourds. But a sign of status or prowess within the tribe"never! As with cigars, sometimes a gourd is just a gourd.
Indonesia unique cultures.