Boys in the Sateré-Mawé tribe in the Amazonian jungle have to go through an excruciating ritual before becoming a man.
The Mawé people, a native tribe living in Brazil’s Amazon region, are not only known for their cultivation of guaraná, but also for their rather shocking initiation rites for young men coming of age. The Mawé believe that any boy who wants to become a man must experience the worst pain the jungle has to offer: the sting of Paraponera clavata, the bullet ant. The bullet ant has the most painful sting among all insects – one that feels comparable to being shot with a bullet.
According to the Smithsonian, Mawé tribe members first soak the critters in a natural sedative that renders them unconscious. Then, the ants are woven into gloves in a way that the stingers face inwards. Finally, during an initiation ceremony, the gloves are placed onto the hands of boys as young as 12. At that point, hell unleashes for the youngsters: the ants wake up mad and proceed to take revenge on the unfortunate souls for a ten-minute stinging spree.
When the bullet ant glove is removed, the boys are typically in extreme pain, shaking for hours uncontrollably. They may experience muscle paralysis, disorientation, and even hallucinations.
To make it even more tough, young Sateré-Mawé warriors have to go through this agonizing ritual more than once. In fact, they must attend the ceremony 20 times before they are regarded as a man.
The extremely grueling challenge is meant to prepare the boys for the traditional life of the Mawé, whereby they will have to face all the dangers of the jungle as a hunter and warrior.
According to the tribe’s chief, the aim of the rite is to show the boys that no one can go through life “without suffering anything or without any kind of effort.”
Unless you are a member of the Sateré-Mawé tribe, however, experts suggest that you avoid the bullet ant at all costs – there’s a reason this minuscule monster has earned its sinister name.
Due to its notoriety, the ant has several local names in Native American, Spanish, and Portuguese. Perhaps the best known of these is the Venezuelan name hormiga veinticuatro (the “24 ant” or “24-hour ant”), which refers to the entire day of pain that one experiences after being stung (and it can also refer to the time it takes to kill a human).
Indeed, anyone who has ever experienced its sting describes the pain as nothing they’ve ever felt before – or indeed ever since.
According to entomologist Dr. Justin Schmidt, creator of the Schmidt Pain Index, the bullet ant’s sting is “pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel.”
So, if you happen to encounter one in the wild, we recommend you do not provoke it or otherwise bother its natural habitat in any way.
And if, despite your best efforts, you do end up getting stung by one, take comfort in the idea that the pain will subside within 24 hours.
But those 24 hours will be the most painful day of your life.
source: earthlymission.com
