Wild tribes: Papuans of New Guinea. The amazing life of the Papuans from New Guinea. You have never seen such people before
Every nation has its own cultural characteristics, historically established customs and national traditions, some or even many of which cannot be understood by representatives of other nations.
We present to your attention shocking facts about the customs and traditions of the Papuans, which, to put it mildly, not everyone will understand.
Papuans mummify their leaders
Papuans have their own way of showing respect for deceased leaders. They do not bury them, but store them in huts. Some of the creepy, distorted mummies are up to 200-300 years old.
Some Papuan tribes have preserved the custom of dismembering the human body.
The largest Papuan tribe in eastern New Guinea, the Huli, has acquired a bad reputation. In the past they were known as headhunters and eaters of human flesh. Now it is believed that nothing like this is happening anymore. However, anecdotal evidence indicates that human dismemberment occurs from time to time during magical rituals.
Many men in New Guinea tribes wear kotekas
Papuans living in the highlands of New Guinea wear kotekas, which are sheaths worn over their male parts. Kotek is made from local varieties of calabash gourd. They replace panties for Papuans.
When women lost relatives, they cut off their fingers
The female part of the Papuan Dani tribe often walked without phalanges of fingers. They cut them off for themselves when they lost close relatives. Today you can still see fingerless old women in villages.
Papuans breastfeed not only children, but also animal cubs
The obligatory bride price is measured in pigs. At the same time, the bride's family is obliged to take care of these animals. Women even feed piglets with their breasts. However, their breast milk other animals also eat.
Almost all the hard work in the tribe is done by women
In Papuan tribes, women do all the main work. Very often you can see a picture where Papuans, being in the last months of pregnancy, chop firewood, and their husbands rest in huts.
Some Papuans live in tree houses
Another Papuan tribe, the Korowai, surprises with their place of residence. They build their houses right on the trees. Sometimes, to get to such a dwelling, you need to climb to a height of 15 to 50 meters. The Korowai's favorite delicacy is insect larvae.
Pixanews continues a series of publications of photographs by Jimmy Nelson, who captured representatives of various endangered tribes and peoples.
JIMMY NELSON PROJECT.
Part 3. Tribes of New Guinea
Papuan Huli tribe
The first Papuans of New Guinea are believed to have migrated to the island more than 45,000 years ago. Today, more than 3 million people - half of the entire heterogeneous population - live in mountainous areas. Some of these communities have been in conflict with their neighbors for thousands of years.
Tribes quarrel over land, pigs and women. Much effort is put into impressing the opponent. Warriors of the largest Huli tribe paint their faces with yellow, red and white paint. They are also famous for their tradition of making ornamented wigs from their own hair. An ax with a claw should enhance the intimidating effect.
Huli people wearing wigs, Ambua Falls area
The traditional clothing of the “highlanders” is scanty: women wear skirts made of grass, men wear nothing but a “koteka” (“koteka” is a protective and decorative sheath for the penis made from a pumpkin). At the same time, in order to impress and frighten the enemy, men make significant efforts.
Representatives of the largest mountain tribe, the Huli (“people in wigs”), paint their faces with yellow, red and white paint. They are famous for their tradition of making decorative wigs from their own hair. These wigs look like hats with plumes, intricately decorated with feathers of birds of paradise and parrots. Other decorations include shells, beads, boar tusks, hornbill skulls and tree foliage.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Ambua Falls, Tari Valley
The Huli people are strictly animistic and make ritual offerings to appease the spirits of their ancestors. Diseases and misfortunes are considered to be the result of witchcraft and magic.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Tari Valley, Western Highlands
Tari Valley with magnificent views of the plain and surrounding peaks. High mountain forests are rich in roaring waterfalls.
Life in high mountain villages is simple. Residents have plenty of good food, families are close-knit and have great respect for the wonders of nature.
Highlanders - primarily men - live by hunting. Women do fruit picking, gardening and farming. Men help clear plots of land, but everything else is the responsibility of women.
They practice circular agriculture, moving to a new location after the soil is depleted to allow the forests and soil to regenerate. Women are excellent farmers. The first Western travelers to visit this mountainous area were amazed to find vast valleys of carefully cultivated vegetable gardens, orchards and irrigation ditches. Crops grown include sweet potatoes, maize, cabbage and cassava.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Ambua Falls, Tari Valley
The Papuans of New Guinea often have tribal clashes. The reason may be disputes over land, livestock and women - in that order. To earn the respect of his fellow tribesmen, a man needs large quantities land to maintain Agriculture, in pigs as a measure of wealth and in several wives who must cultivate the land and care for the cattle.
Asaro Tribe
Various tribes have lived scattered in small agricultural clans throughout the highland plateau for a thousand years. They are separated by difficult terrain, language, customs and traditions. The legendary Asaro ("silt people") tribe first encountered the Western world in the mid-20th century.
Legend has it that the "silt people" were forced to flee their enemies in the Asaro River, where they waited until dusk fell. The enemies saw them rising from the water, covered with silt, and mistook them for spirits. The Asaro people still use mud and masks to maintain this illusion and terrify other tribes.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Asaro tribe from the Eastern Highlands
The "silt people" do not cover their faces with mud because the Papuan peoples of New Guinea consider the silt of the Asaro River to be poisonous. Instead, they make masks using heated pebbles and water from waterfalls. The masks have an unusual design: long or very short ears, which either go down to the chin or stick up, large fused eyebrows attached to the top of the ears, horns and mouths on the sides.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
"People of the Silt"
The Asaro people cover themselves in mud, wear scary masks and brandish spears. Legend has it that the "silt people" were defeated by an enemy tribe and were forced to flee into the Asaro River.
They waited until dusk before trying to sneak away. The enemies saw them rise from the water, smeared with mud, and mistook them for spirits. Frightened, they ran away to their village. After this episode, all the neighboring villages became convinced that the spirits of the Asaro River were on their side. The wise elders noticed that this gave them an advantage over their neighbors, and decided to support this illusion in every possible way.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Hill tribes often fight with each other
Over the years, the Asaro people have repeatedly used mud and masks to terrorize other villages with surprise morning visits.
Kalam tribe
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Rainbow over Simbai
Situated high in the mountains, Simbai is a village that can only be reached by light propeller-driven aircraft. Traveling on foot through dense bush and on slippery slopes of steep hills takes many days. With no roads, it's easy to get lost there.
Thanks to this, the local culture remained rich and original, free from the assimilative influences of the surrounding world. A visit to Simbai village is like traveling back in time.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
In the Kalam tribe, boys have their nose pierced as part of their initiation.
The village of Simbai is home to the Kalam tribe in the center of the Madang highlands. This is one of the underdeveloped regions of Papua New Guinea where people still live in traditional villages, scattered over a vast territory untouched by civilization.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Body jewelry
When it comes to body decoration, they cover themselves with ornaments called "bilas" consisting of large pearl shells, as well as necklaces made from hornbill beaks (kokomo), couscous fur, wildflowers and armbands.
Pork fat gives the body the final shine.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Bird feathers and pearl shells
The top of the headdresses is decorated with feathers of cockatoos, loris parrots and birds of paradise of all kinds. Small round pearl shells are attached to the hole in the nose. Sometimes the feathers of the bird of paradise of the king of Saxony are inserted there.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Men and boys of the Kalam tribe
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Life is simple in high mountain villages
The mountain people live by hunting, which is mainly done by men, and by collecting plants and farming, which is done by women. Men help clear plots of land, but everything else is considered women's responsibility.
The local villages are full of good food, friendly families and ancient traditions based on respect for natural phenomena.
"Before they disappear." Photo: Jimmy Nelson
Village of Nukunt
Once a year - usually in the third week of September - a week-long cultural festival is held here, which is dedicated to the initiation of young men. The ritual includes a nose piercing ("sutim nus" in the local dialect). Boys between the ages of 10 and 17 enter the hausboi (men's house) to undergo an initiation ceremony conducted by the village elders. The piercing procedure also takes place there.
Papua New Guinea- this is one of the most amazing countries in the world, characterized by stunning cultural diversity. About eight hundred and fifty coexist here various languages and by at least so many different ethnic groups, although the population is barely seven million!
The name "Papua" comes from the Malay word "papuwa", which translated into Russian means "curly", which is one of the characteristics of the hair of the inhabitants of this area.
Papua New Guinea is one of the most diverse nations in the world. There are hundreds of indigenous ethnic groups, the largest of which are known as the Papuans, whose ancestors arrived in New Guinea tens of thousands of years ago. Many Papuan tribal residents still maintain only minor contacts with the outside world.
(Total 37 photos)
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1. Independence Day in Papua New Guinea. The head of this Papuan is decorated with feathers of doves, birds of paradise, and other exotic birds. Numerous shell jewelry around the neck are symbols of prosperity and prosperity. In the past, shells were used in these parts as a form of money. A wedding gift of this kind, which the husband presents to his fiancée, is considered especially valuable.
2. Caconaru, Southern Highlands. – Dance of spirits in the Huli tribe.
3. Goroka Festival on Independence Day. On this day, it is customary to smear yourself from head to toe in mud and dance a special dance designed to attract good spirits. Papuans believe in spirits and also greatly honor the memory of their deceased ancestors.
4. Papua New Guinea on the world map.
5. Goroka Festival is probably the most famous cultural event of the tribes. It is held annually on the eve of Independence Day (September 16) in the city of Goroka.
6. The settlement of Tari is located in the center of the Huli province of the Southern Highlands. It is the second largest settlement in the province and can be reached by road from Mendi. This is what the traditional outfit of a resident of this settlement looks like.
7. Okoo hundreds of tribes come to the Goroka Festival to showcase their culture, traditional music and dance. This festival was first held in the 1950s on the initiative of missionaries. IN last years Tourists frequent the festival because this is one of the few opportunities to see the real live culture of local tribes.
8. The green spider is one of the traditional participants of the Goroka holiday.
9. Drummer at the Goroka festival.
10. The man with the painted yellow paint face at the Goroka festival.
11. Notice the shell necklace.
12. One of the traditional colors is black with red polka dots.
13. The combination of red, yellow and orange is especially welcome. And, of course, the obligatory shell necklace - the more massive, the better.
14. Another version of the holiday coloring is black and white, with scarlet rings around the eyes.
15. Very often the beaks of hornbills are used for decoration. This is a family of birds in the order Coraciiformes. Includes 57 species living in Africa and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and Indian Oceans. They have very bright plumage, which is often used to make hats.
16. Another option for holiday coloring.
17. These people are representatives of the hairdressing salon. They, however, have nothing in common with ordinary hairdressers. Using special rituals, they make hair grow faster so that they can create a traditional hairstyle.
18. The de Biami tribe lives in the forests of the Western Province.
19. Extravaganza of colors - red, pink, white with blue speckles...
20. Jewelry symbolizing fertility.
21. Jewelry symbolizes strength, prosperity and fertility.
22. The tribe living on Mount Hagen during a ritual song.
23. The same, front view.
24. Headdress made from bird of paradise feathers.
25. Headdress made of fur and feathers of a bird of paradise.
26. Fur skirt and bone necklace.
27. Another headdress made from bird of paradise plumage.
Despite the fact that outside the window is the rapid 21st century, which is called the century information technologies, here in the distant country of Papua New Guinea, it seems that time has stopped.
State of Papua New Guinea
The state is located in Oceania, on several islands. Total area about 500 square kilometers. Population 8 million people. The capital is Port Moresby. The head of state is the Queen of Great Britain.
The name "Papua" translates as "curly". This is how the island was named in 1526 by a navigator from Portugal, the governor of one of the Indonesian islands, Jorge de Menezes. 19 years later, the Spaniard, one of the first explorers of the Pacific Islands, Inigo Ortiz de Retes, visited the island and named it “New Guinea”.
Official language of Papua New Guinea
Tok Pisin is recognized as the official language. It is spoken by the majority of the population. And also English, although only one person in a hundred knows it. Basically, these are government officials. Interesting feature: There are more than 800 dialects in the country and therefore Papua New Guinea is recognized as the country with the most big amount languages (10% of all languages in the world). The reason for this phenomenon is the almost complete lack of connections between tribes.
Tribes and families in New Guinea
Papuan families still live in tribal mode. An individual “unit of society” is simply unable to survive without contact with its tribe. This is especially true for life in cities, of which there are quite a few in the country. However, here any city is considered locality, whose population is more than a thousand people.
Papuan families form tribes and live close to other urban people. Children usually do not attend schools located in cities. But even those who go to study very often return home after one or two years of study. It is also worth noting that girls do not study at all. Because the girl helps her mother with housework until she is married off.
The boy returns to his family to become one of the equal members of his tribe - a “crocodile”. That's what men are called. Their skin should be similar to the skin of a crocodile. Young men undergo initialization and only then have the right to communicate on equal terms with the rest of the men of the tribe, they have the right to vote at a meeting or other event taking place in the tribe.
The tribe lives alone big family, supports and helps each other. But he usually does not contact the neighboring tribe or even openly quarrels. Lately The Papuans have had their territory cut off quite heavily; it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to maintain the same order of life in nature in natural conditions, their thousand-year-old traditions and their unique culture.
Papua New Guinea families have 30-40 people. Women of the tribe run the household, care for livestock, give birth to children, collect bananas and coconuts, and prepare food.
Papuan food
Not only fruits are the main food of the Papuans. Pork is used for cooking. The tribe protects pigs and eats their meat very rarely, only holidays And memorable dates. More often they eat small rodents that live in the jungle and banana leaves. Women can cook all dishes from these ingredients amazingly deliciously.
Marriage and family life of New Guineans
Women have practically no rights, submitting first to their parents and then entirely to their husbands. By law (in the country the majority of residents are Christians), the husband is obliged to treat his wife well. But in reality this is far from the case. Practice persists ritual murders women on whom even the shadow of suspicion of witchcraft falls. According to statistics, more than 60% of women are constantly exposed to domestic violence. International public organizations And Catholic Church are constantly sounding the alarm on this issue.
But, unfortunately, everything remains the same. A girl at 11-12 years old is already married off. At the same time, parents lose “another mouth to feed”, since a younger girl becomes an assistant. And the groom's family gets free labor, so he is looking at all girls six to eight years old. Often the groom can be a man older girls for 20-30 years. But there is no choice. Therefore, each of them meekly accepts their fate as a given.
But a man doesn’t choose for himself future wife, which can only be seen in front of the traditional wedding ceremony. The decision on choosing a bride will be made by the elders of the tribe. Before the wedding, it is customary to send matchmakers to the bride’s family and bring a gift. Only after such a ceremony is the wedding day set. On this day, the ritual of “kidnapping” the bride takes place. A decent ransom must be paid to the bride's house. This can be not only various valuable things, but also, for example, wild boars, banana branches, vegetables and fruits. When the bride is given to another tribe or another house, her property is divided among the members of the community from which the girl comes.
Life in marriage cannot be called easy. According to ancient traditions, a woman lives separately from a man. In the tribe there are so-called women's and men's houses. Adultery, on either side, can be punished very harshly. There are also special huts where husband and wife can periodically retire. They can also retire in the forest. Girls are raised by their mothers, and boys from the age of seven are raised by the men of the tribe. Children in the tribe are considered common, and they are not treated on ceremony. Among the Papuans you will not find such a disease as overprotection.
This is how difficult it is family life among the Papuans.
Witchcraft law
In 1971, the country passed the Witchcraft Law. It says that a person who considers himself “bewitched” is not responsible for his actions. The murder of a sorcerer is a mitigating circumstance in trial. Very often, women from another tribe become victims of accusations. Four years ago, a gang of cannibals who called themselves witch hunters killed men and women and then ate them. The government is trying to fight this terrible phenomenon. Perhaps the witchcraft law will finally be repealed.
Papua New Guinea, especially its center - one of the protected corners of the Earth, where human civilization has hardly penetrated. People there live in complete dependence on nature, worship their deities and honor the spirits of their ancestors.
The coast of the island of New Guinea is now inhabited by completely civilized people who speak the official language, English. Missionaries worked with them for many years.
However, in the center of the country there is something like a reservation - nomadic tribes and who still live in the Stone Age. They know every tree by name, bury the dead on its branches, and have no idea what money or passports are.
They are surrounded by a mountainous country overgrown with impenetrable jungle, where high humidity and unimaginable heat make life unbearable for a European.
No one there speaks a word of English, and each tribe speaks its own language, of which there are about 900 in New Guinea. The tribes live very isolated from each other, communication between them is almost impossible, so their dialects have little in common, and people are different they simply don’t understand their friend.
A typical settlement where the Papuan tribe lives: modest huts are covered with huge leaves, in the center there is something like a clearing where the whole tribe gathers, and there is jungle around for many kilometers. The only weapons these people have are stone axes, spears, bows and arrows. But it is not with their help that they hope to protect themselves from evil spirits. That's why they have faith in gods and spirits.
The Papuan tribe usually keeps the mummy of the “chief”. This is some outstanding ancestor - the bravest, strongest and most intelligent, who fell in battle with the enemy. After death, his body was treated with a special composition to avoid decay. The leader's body is kept by the sorcerer.
It is in every tribe. This character is highly revered among his relatives. Its function is mainly to communicate with the spirits of the ancestors, appease them and ask for advice. People who are weak and unsuitable for the constant battle for survival usually become sorcerers—in a word, old people. They earn their living by witchcraft.
WHITE COMING FROM THIS WORLD?
The first white man to come to this exotic continent was the Russian traveler Miklouho-Maclay. Having landed on the shores of New Guinea in September 1871, he, being an absolutely peaceful man, decided not to take weapons ashore, taking only gifts and a notebook, which he never parted with.
Local residents greeted the stranger quite aggressively: they shot arrows in his direction, shouted intimidatingly, waved spears...
But Miklouho-Maclay did not react in any way to these attacks. On the contrary, he sat down on the grass with the most equanimity, pointedly took off his shoes and lay down to take a nap.
By an effort of will, the traveler forced himself to fall asleep (or just pretended to). And when he woke up, he saw that the Papuans were sitting peacefully next to him and looking at the overseas guest with all their eyes. The savages reasoned this way: since the pale-faced man is not afraid of death, it means he is immortal. That's what they decided on.
The traveler lived for several months among a tribe of savages. All this time, the aborigines worshiped him and revered him as a god. They knew that if desired, the mysterious guest could command the forces of nature. How is it?
It’s just that one day Miklouho-Maclay, who was called only Tamo-rus - “Russian man”, or Karaan-tamo - “man from the moon”, demonstrated the following trick to the Papuans: he poured water into a plate with alcohol and set it on fire. Gullible local residents They believed that a foreigner was able to set fire to the sea or stop the rain.
However, Papuans are generally gullible. For example, they are firmly convinced that the dead go to their own country and return from there white, bringing with them many useful items and food. This belief lives on in all Papuan tribes (despite the fact that they hardly communicate with each other), even in those where they have never seen a white man.
FUNERAL RITE
Papuans know three causes of death: from old age, from war and from witchcraft - if the death occurred for some unknown reason. If a person dies a natural death, he will be buried with honor. All funeral ceremonies are aimed at appeasing the spirits who accept the soul of the deceased.
Here is a typical example of such a ritual. Close relatives of the deceased go to the stream to perform bisi as a sign of mourning - smearing the head and other parts of the body with yellow clay. At this time, the men prepare a funeral pyre in the center of the village. Not far from the fire, a place is being prepared where the deceased will rest before cremation.
Shells and sacred stones are placed here - the abode of a certain mystical power. Touching these living stones is strictly punishable by the laws of the tribe. On top of the stones there should be a long wicker strip decorated with pebbles, which acts as a bridge between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
The deceased is placed on sacred stones, coated with pork fat and clay, and sprinkled with bird feathers. Then funeral songs begin to be sung over him, which tell about the outstanding merits of the deceased.
And finally, the body is burned at the stake so that the person’s spirit does not return from the afterlife.
TO THE FALLEN IN BATTLE - GLORY!
If a man is killed in battle, his body is roasted on a fire and eaten honorably with rituals appropriate to the occasion, so that his strength and courage will pass on to other men.
Three days after this, the phalanges of the fingers of the deceased’s wife are cut off as a sign of mourning. This custom is connected with another ancient Papuan legend.
One man mistreated his wife. She died and went to the next world. But her husband missed her and could not live alone. He went to another world for his wife, approached the main spirit and began to beg to return his beloved to the world of the living. The Spirit set a condition: his wife would return, but only if he promised to treat her with care and kindness. The man, of course, was delighted and promised everything at once.
His wife returned to him. But one day her husband forgot and forced her to work hard again. When he came to his senses and remembered this promise, it was already too late: his wife broke up before his eyes. All her husband had left was a phalanx of his finger. The tribe was angry and expelled him because he took away their immortality - the opportunity to return from the other world like his wife.
However, in reality, for some reason, the wife cuts off the phalanx of her finger as a sign of the last gift to her deceased husband. The father of the deceased performs the nasuk ritual - he cuts off his wooden knife the upper part of the ear and then covers the bleeding wound with clay. This ceremony is quite long and painful.
After funeral rite Papuans honor and appease the spirit of their ancestor. For, if his soul is not appeased, the ancestor will not leave the village, but will live there and cause harm. The spirit of the ancestor is fed for some time as if it were alive, and they even try to give it sexual pleasure. For example, a clay figurine of a tribal god is placed on a stone with a hole, symbolizing a woman.
The afterlife in the minds of the Papuans is a kind of paradise, where there is a lot of food, especially meat.
DEATH WITH A SMILE ON YOUR LIPS
In Papua New Guinea, people believe that the head is the seat of spiritual and physical strength person. Therefore, when fighting enemies, Papuans first of all strive to take possession of this part of the body.
For Papuans, cannibalism is not at all a desire to eat tasty food, but rather magical ritual, in the process of which cannibals gain the intelligence and strength of the one they eat. Let us apply this custom not only to enemies, but also to friends, and even relatives who heroically died in battle.
The process of eating the brain is especially “productive” in this sense. By the way, it is with this ritual that doctors associate the disease kuru, which is very common among cannibals. Kuru is another name for mad cow disease, which can be contracted by eating uncooked animal brains (or, in in this case, person).
This insidious disease was first recorded in 1950 in New Guinea, in a tribe where the brains of deceased relatives were considered a delicacy. The disease begins with pain in the joints and head, gradually progressing, leading to loss of coordination, trembling in the arms and legs and, oddly enough, bouts of uncontrollable laughter.
The disease develops long years, sometimes the incubation period is 35 years. But the worst thing is that victims of the disease die with a frozen smile on their lips.
Sergei BORODIN
