PLAYING AT BEING MEN

Among the Gende people in Madang Province the game of Last Card is played almost exclusively by young men. Requiring greater concentration and skill than the more popular games of Three Leaf and Seven, Last Card is rejected by older players on the grounds that it angers them when their carefully planned strategies are upset by the lucky draw of a less skilled opponent. This paper examines Last Card's appeal for young men and puts forward the proposition that, in many respects, Last Card is a functional equivalent of traditional male initiation. Providing frequent opportunity for public displays of self‐control and mastery, games of Last Card give otherwise undistinguished village youths a chance to attract the attentions of potential mates and brideprice supporters. For players who are especially talented (or lucky) Last Card is a source of income to be invested in exchange relations with other youths as well as older men and women. Finally, although older card players rarely play Last Card, they are keen observers of the game and will sponsor new players by giving them the initial stakes.