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 revere the spirits of their ancestors. On the coast of the island of New Guinea now live quite civilized people who know the official - English - language. 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, they bury the dead on the branches, they have no idea what money or passports are.
They are surrounded by a mountainous country overgrown with impenetrable jungle, where, due to high humidity and unimaginable heat, life is unbearable for a European. No one there knows 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 each other friend simply do not understand. Typical locality, 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 the jungle is around for many kilometers. The only weapons of these people are stone axes, spears, bows and arrows. But not with their help, they hope to protect themselves from evil spirits. That's why they have faith in gods and spirits. In the Papuan tribe, the mummy of the "leader" is usually kept. This is some outstanding ancestor - the most courageous, strong and intelligent, who fell in battle with the enemy. After his death, his body was treated with a special compound to avoid decay. The body of the leader is kept by the sorcerer.
It is in every tribe. This character is highly revered among the relatives. Its function is mainly to communicate with the ancestral spirits, appeasing them and asking for advice. The sorcerers usually go to people who are weak and unsuitable for a constant battle for survival - in a word, old people. By witchcraft they make their living. WHITES-DEVISED? The first white man who came to this exotic continent was the Russian traveler Miklukho-Maclay. Having landed on the coast of New Guinea in September 1871, he, being an absolutely peaceful man, decided not to take weapons ashore, he took only gifts and a notebook, which he never parted with. 
The locals met the stranger quite aggressively: they shot arrows in his direction, shouted intimidatingly, brandished spears ... But Miklukho-Maclay did not react to these attacks in any way. On the contrary, with the most imperturbable look, he sat down on the grass, defiantly took off his shoes and lay down to take a nap. By an effort of will, the traveler forced himself to sleep (or only pretended to). And when he woke up, he saw that the Papuans were sitting peacefully next to him and staring at the overseas guest with all their eyes. The savages reasoned thus: if a pale-faced man is not afraid of death, then he is immortal. That's what they decided on. For several months the traveler lived in a tribe of savages. All this time, the natives 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?
Yes, just once Miklukho-Maclay, who was called only Tamo-rus - “Russian man”, or Karaan-tamo - “man from the moon”, showed the Papuans such a trick: he poured water into a plate with alcohol and set it on fire. gullible locals believed that a foreigner was able to set fire to the sea or stop the rain. However, the Papuans are generally gullible. For example, they are firmly convinced that the dead go to their country and return white, bringing with them many useful items and food. This belief lives 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 The 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 died a natural death, he will be honorably buried. All funeral ceremonies are aimed at appeasing the spirits that receive 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 yellow clay on the head and other parts of the body. The men at this time are preparing 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 of the vus are placed here - the abode of a certain mystical power. Touching these living stones is strictly punished by the laws of the tribe. On top of the stones should lie a long braided 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, smeared with pork fat and clay, sprinkled with bird feathers. Funeral songs then begin to be sung over him, recounting the outstanding services of the deceased. And finally, the body is burned at the stake so that the human spirit does not return from the underworld. TO THE DEAD IN BATTLE - GLORY! If a man died in battle, his body is roasted at the stake and honorably eaten with rituals appropriate to the occasion, so that his strength and courage pass to other men. Three days after this, the phalanges of the fingers are cut off to the wife of the deceased as a sign of mourning. This custom is connected with another ancient Papuan legend. One man mistreated his wife. She died and ended up in the next world. But her husband yearned for her, could not live alone. He went for his wife to another world, approached the main spirit and began to beg to return his beloved to the world of the living. The spirit set a condition: the wife will return, but only if he promises to treat her with care and kindness. The man, of course, was delighted and promised everything at once.
The wife returned to him. But one day her husband forgot himself and again forced her to work hard. When he caught himself and remembered this promise, it was already too late: his wife fell apart before his eyes. Her husband only had a phalanx of her finger left. The tribe got 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 rite of nasuk - he cuts off the upper part of his ear with a wooden knife and then covers the bleeding wound with clay. This ceremony is quite long and painful. After funeral rite Papuans revere and cajole the spirit of their ancestors. For if his soul is not appeased, the ancestor will not leave the village, but will live there and harm. The spirit of the ancestor is fed for some time, as if alive, and even try to give him sexual pleasure. For example, a clay figurine of a tribal god is placed on a stone with a hole, symbolizing a woman. The underworld in the view of the Papuans is some kind of paradise, where there is a lot of food, especially meat.
Papua New Guinea. Goroka Show. Papuan is festive. October 8th, 2013
I thought for a long time where to start the story about a trip to such strange place. To be honest, the impressions of a trip to Papua - New Guinea turned out to be quite ambiguous ... And it’s hardly worth dumping everything at once :)))
So. I decided to start with the front door of Papuan. Festive. In this post there will be a lot of pictures with a variety of elegant Papuans.
Probably, this is what people imagine when they hear "Papua, Papuans." I won't disappoint.
There are over 700 different tribes in Papua New Guinea. Literally every village is a separate tribe with its own language and its own outfits.
In order to somehow unite the country, reconcile the tribes, and at least reacquaint them for more than 50 years, under the patronage of government organizations, ethnic festivals have been held in the country - a kind of intertribal congresses, at which numerous tribes of the country demonstrate their cultural traditions, dress in their best outfits (decorating the body and face), show ancient rituals, dance, sing and express their identity in every way.
One of the main, oldest, most colorful - Goroka show. Takes place in mid-September.
More than a hundred tribes take part in the festival.
Tourists began to come to these festivals only from the end of the 20th century. So traditionally these festivals are holidays not so much for tourists as for the Papuans themselves. They come from all over the country, prepare in advance, dress up, joyfully dance and sing during the holiday. In general, for the most part, the Papuans love to chat with new people, hang out. And the festival is a good occasion for that.
And although the festival itself began on Saturday, already the day before in the town here and there one could meet dressing up people
On the festival day, dressed up people simply dazzle in the eyes.
The festival is not a demonstration of traditional national costumes. This is a holiday of songs, dances, unity ... Therefore, there are very modernized personalities
All the action takes place according to a simple scenario:
groups take turns passing through the corridor of spectators (local residents not taking part in the show), dancing and singing martial songs. Then they get to a fenced area - a huge field, where only show participants and tourists are allowed (I counted as many as 20 people, probably). Then all this large motley crowd dances, sings, sits, communicates, listens to the speeches of government representatives. And tourists walk and look until they charge in the eyes :)
Each group has two very responsible people. The first - carries a sign with the name of the group. The second is the shoes of the participants in the performance.
The inhabitants of the coastal regions are easily recognizable by their rich shell decorations.
Most people in Papua New Guinea have the bad habit of chewing betelnuts. This nut has a weak narcotic effect. Therefore, the look of the Papuans is slightly intoxicated. It is very easy to recognize nut chewers - by rotten teeth and red mouth.
But these people in moss suits just tore my idea of national costumes :)
The bag on the girl's head is a noken. Traditional Papuan bag. Sizes range from a small cosmetic bag to a giant shopping bag (where a large backpack fits). The bag is worn on the head. They carry not only things there, but also, for example, children.
Pay attention to this handsome man, we will return to this village
All participants of the show are very willing to pose. For - if a white man I decided to take a picture of you, so the costume was a success :)
New Guinea "(Irian) is the largest island in the Pacific Ocean. Its area is 785 thousand km 2, length - 2400 km, width - 700 km.
natural conditions
A huge mountain range runs along the entire island. On the southeastern edge of the island, the mountains drop and then disappear under the water.
The tops of the sunken mountains form the D'Entrecasteaux Islands and the Louisiade archipelago. The interior of New Guinea is mountainous. Here and there the uplands are cut by small river valleys. In many places the mountains reach the very shore. This is the case, for example, on the Yuon Peninsula, near McClure Bay. Here the coast is steep, precipitous, indented by many deep, narrow gorges, along which mountain streams flow. The valleys were overgrown with alang-alang (or kunai) grass, as tall as a man, and small groups trees. Sometimes in the same areas, in front of the mountains approaching the sea, there is an alluvial sandy lowland. Here are usually located the villages of the coastal Papuans. The shore of the Astrolabe Bay and to the north of it is hilly. On the hills - forests and groves of coconut palms. “Between the first hills and the sea,” writes N. N. Miklukho-Maclay, “there is a low coastal strip. The forest in some places descends to the very sea, so that the lower branches of large trees are in the water. The southwestern coast is low, marshy. Ego is the only big lowland on the whole island.
The climate of the island is tropical, hot throughout the year: the average temperature in winter (June - August) is 25 °, in summer (December - February) 26 °. Temperatures are somewhat lower in the mountains, averaging around 18°C. But the nights are cold everywhere, sometimes the temperature drops to zero. Precipitation is extremely plentiful (up to 5000 mm), in some areas there are up to three hundred rainy days a year. There is less precipitation in the south, and there are even areas on the southern coast where the dry period is clearly pronounced (from July to December).
The vegetation of the island is extremely diverse. Only on the southern coast, where there are dry seasons, the flora is poorer: it is the vegetation of the savannas (equilypts, acacias, alang-alang grass), in swampy places on the banks there are thickets of mangroves, casuarina (the leaves of the latter resemble cassowary feathers). As for the rest of the regions, one can only say that the vegetation in them (if the height is not more than 900 m above sea level) is tropical. Of the wild ones, the pandanus, sago palm, and nipa palm are characteristic. Coconut, sago and areca palms are cultivated, in some places - breadfruit.
The animal world is poor in higher mammals (there is only a wild pig) and rich in marsupials: tree kangaroo, wallaby, bandicoot, opossum, flying squirrel; reptiles - New Guinea tortoise (Carretohelys), lizards, snakes, some of which are poisonous. Off the coast of New Guinea, among marine mammals, the dugong is found.
The bird world is rich (about two hundred species): cassowary (a large running bird with undeveloped wings), birds of paradise, pigeons, herons, cuckoos, cockatoo parrots and many others. The ocean is rich in fish.
Lots of arthropods. Some of them are extremely annoying for people, and some carry diseases (mosquitoes, mosquitoes, ants, sand flies, forest lice, centipedes, scorpions). There is no area where all these species would be present, but there is also no area where they would not exist at all. The conditions of life created by their abundance are visible from the following example: “The house in which we dined,” writes researcher Wollaston, “was filled with flies at the same moment food was brought into it; therefore we rejoiced that spiders lived in our house; one of our old friends - science, who lived under the table, crawled out during dinner and got his share of flies; over time, he became so tame that he took a live fly from our fingers.
History of discovery and colonization
The island of New Guinea was discovered by the Portuguese George de Menezes in 1526. The island got its name in 1545. So Ortis de Rete called it because of the similarity of the Papuans with the inhabitants of African Guinea. In the XVI century. New Guinea was considered the northern part of the Australian mainland, but in 1606 Torres established that it was an island.
Then, for more than 250 years, Europeans hardly remembered the existence of this island. True, the Dutch in 1828 founded on west bank colony, but after eight years all the colonists died out. Since 1828, the western part of the island was considered a Dutch possession, but there was not a single Dutchman here, and only by chance did Dutch warships come here.
In 1884, the northeastern part of New Guinea was captured by Germany, the southeastern part - by England. This south-eastern part - the present Territory of Papua - was initially administered by the Queensland authorities, and from 1906 - under the administration of Australia. The coastal tribes (Dorei, Monumbo, Bongu, Kate, Marind-Anim) and the tribes of the southeastern peninsula (Roro, Koita, Mekeo) came into contact with the white colonizers. The tribes of the inner regions of the island remained and in part still remain outside the "sphere of influence" of the colonialists. However, even some coastal tribes, which are commonly referred to as "coming into contact with European culture", for the most part have this " European culture» very poor performance.
After World War I, the German part of New Guinea ceded to Australia as a "mandatory" territory. After the Second World War, it became a "trust" territory under the same administration. The administration center was in the city of Rabaul ( island Novaya Britannia).
In 1948, the Territory of Papua and the Trust Territory were united by the Australian government in what is known as an administrative union centered on Moresby. The United Territory has its own legislative council, but its power is small, for any decision of it can be vetoed by an administrator appointed by Australia. The composition of the council itself is rather a mockery of self-government: of its 29 members, 17 are appointed directly by the administrator, of the remaining 12 "unofficial" members, three represent missions, three are planters and miners, three are elected by the rest of the population of European origin, and, finally, three represent Papuans and Melanesians , but they are not elected, but are also appointed by the administrator. The administrator has dictatorial rights. As for the participation of the aboriginal population in the government of their country, it has actually been reduced to zero. The council consists of 25 people of European origin and three natives. Ten thousand people of European origin elect three members of the council, and two million Papuans and Melanesians do not elect anyone, they have only three "representatives" appointed from above.
The western part of New Guinea, which for decades was called the Dutch, now, after the formation of the Indonesian Republic, gravitates towards the latter, although its political position has not yet been completely determined. It is now called West Irian.
The Anglo-Australian colonial administration officially divides the entire part of New Guinea under its jurisdiction into five zones, according to the degree of its real power: 1) areas under the complete control of the colonial administration (mainly coastal); 2) areas under "partial control"; 3) areas "under the influence" of the administration; 4) "uncontrolled"; 5) "unknown areas". In the fourth and fifth zones - the inner regions of the island - colonial officials and people of European origin in general do not dare to penetrate, and even armed detachments are afraid to send into "unknown areas".
In 1938, about 60 thousand Papuans were discovered in the valley of the river. Balim (on the northern slopes of the Snowy Mountains). A number of tribes were discovered in 1942 - 1943, during military operations in New Guinea. There is information about tribes discovered in 1945. There is no doubt that in the central mountainous regions of New Guinea, especially in Zazadny Irian, tribes still live that have not yet seen a European.
Indigenous people
The name "Papuan" comes from the Malay word papuwa (curly). So the Malays call the inhabitants of New Guinea for their finely wavy thick hair, forming one continuous mass.
The term "Papuan" received other meanings in science. Anthropologists talk about the Papuan anthropological type, linguists - about the Papuan languages.
The Papuan anthropological type and the Papuan languages, however, do not cover the entire population of New Guinea, but only part of it, as well as part of the population of other islands of Melanesia (inland regions of the large islands).
In total, there are now more than 2 million indigenous inhabitants of New Guinea. There is no exact census of the population of New Guinea, moreover, a number of areas of this huge island have not yet been explored. Population data are therefore purely approximate, although the figures, at first glance, give an idea of accuracy to one person.
So, according to 1947 data, in the central mountainous region of northeastern New Guinea, there were 295,769 people. In fact, the census covered 95,769 people, the rest of the population is approximately estimated at 200,000. As a result, this “exact” was obtained.
figure - 295 769. In the area of the river. Sepik, according to the same data, the population is 232,550. Of these, 147,550 are covered by the census, and the remainder of the population is estimated at about 85,000. For the Madang district, there is an “exact” figure - 82,386, the same for the Morobe district - 125,575 .
Thus, the total population in the northeastern part of New Guinea, i.e., in the "trust territory", is about 950 thousand. 1
The population of the Territory of Papua is estimated at approximately 400 thousand and the population of the territory of West Irian (former Dutch New Guinea) is 700 thousand.
The economy of the Papuans late XIX V.
The Papuans have inhabited New Guinea since very early times, probably many thousands of years. The first inhabitants were probably at a very low stage of development. Here, in New Guinea, they have gone through a long historical path of cultural growth. In the second half of the 19th century, when Miklukho-Maclay lived on New Gwiiye, the Papuans knew how to cultivate the land, build solid wooden buildings, make pottery, and had bows and arrows. In coastal areas, the exchange of products of agriculture, fishing and pottery was widely developed.
New Guinea was in the 19th century. and remains today a country of primitive agriculture. At present, the following agricultural crops are known to the Papuans. In inland areas, mainly sweet potato (sweet potatoes) and sugar cane are bred, on the coast - taro, yams, beans, bananas; in the valleys of large rivers (Ramu, Sepik, Fly, etc.) sago palms are grown. Harvests are taken here all year round.
In wooded areas, the method of cultivating the land is based on the slash system. It remains almost the same as under Miklouho-Maclay.
The same manual technique is practiced on the plantations of the colonialists, where the Papuans are forced to work. Their work is not spared at all. During the Second World War, when American and Australian troops were in New Guinea, several tractors were brought here. The Papuans learned to cultivate the land with them. The harvest went to meet the needs of the army. After the end of military operations, tractors from New Guinea disappeared. The Papuans demand that they be re-imported. They have organized "agricultural progress societies" and raise funds to buy tractors and plows. The planters, however, prevent this movement. The labor force in New Guinea is so cheap that it is unprofitable for them even on large plantations to introduce mechanization of work.
Where land is scarce, on the small islands near New Guinea, the Papuans are engaged in various crafts, such as making clay pots, boats, etc. In exchange for these products, they receive taro, yams, bananas from residents of coastal villages.
On the shores of the Coral and Arafura Seas, in the area of the Astrolabe Bay, at the mouths of the Sepik and Ramu rivers and in some other coastal areas big role plays fishing. On the coast and neighboring islands there are villages where the inhabitants are engaged only in fishing and almost no cultivation of the land. They receive fruits and vegetables from other tribes in exchange for fish and turtle meat.
Both in the 19th century and now, with the exception of the coastal regions, the main tools of labor among the Papuans are a stone ax, bone scrapers and sharp fragments of shells. With their help, the Papuans build huts and boats, make their spades, spears, bows and arrows, dishes and utensils.
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, time seems to have 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 the city of Port Moresby. The head of state is the Queen of Great Britain.
The name "Papua" is translated as "curly". So the island was named in 1526 by a navigator from Portugal - the governor of one of the islands of Indonesia, Jorge de Menezes. 19 years later, a Spaniard, one of the first explorers of the islands, visited the island Pacific Ocean, Iñigo Ortiz de Retes 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 out of a hundred knows it. Basically, these are government officials. Interesting feature: the country has more than 800 dialects and therefore Papua New Guinea is recognized as the country with the largest number of languages (10% of all world languages). The reason for this phenomenon is the almost complete absence of ties between the tribes.
Tribes and families in New Guinea
Papuan families still live in a tribal regime. A separate “cell of society” is simply not able to survive without contact with its tribe. This is especially true of life in cities, of which there are quite a lot in the country. However, here a city is considered to be any settlement with a population of more than a thousand people.
Papuan families unite in tribes and live next to other urban people. Usually children 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. Since the girl helps her mother with the housework until the moment she is married.
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 an equal footing 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.
Tribe lives alone big family support and help each other. But he usually does not contact with a neighboring tribe or even openly feuds. Lately the Papuans have cut their territory quite a lot, it is increasingly difficult for them to maintain the old order of life in nature in natural conditions, their millennial traditions and their unique culture.
Families in Papua New Guinea have 30-40 people each. The women of the tribe lead household, look after livestock, give birth to children, collect bananas and coconuts, cook food.
Papuan food
Not only fruits are the main food of the Papuans. Pork is used for cooking. Pigs in the tribe are protected and their meat is eaten very rarely, only public holidays And anniversaries. More often they eat small rodents that live in the jungle and banana leaves. All dishes from these ingredients, women know how to cook amazingly delicious.
Marriage and family life in New Guinea
Women have practically no rights, obeying first to their parents, and then entirely to their husband. By law (in the country the majority of the inhabitants are Christians), the husband is obliged to treat his wife well. But in reality this is far from the case. The practice of ritual murders of women remains, on which at least a 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 the age of 11-12 is already being married off. At the same time, parents lose “another mouth”, as a younger girl becomes an assistant. And the groom's family gets a free labor force, therefore, he looks closely at all girls of six to eight years. Often the groom can be a man older girls years for 20-30. But there is no choice. Therefore, each of them resignedly accepts her fate for granted.
But a man does not choose himself future wife, which can only be seen in front of the traditional wedding ceremony. The choice of bride will be decided by the tribal elders. Before the wedding, it is customary to send matchmakers to the bride's family and bring a gift. Only after such a rite is the wedding day appointed. On this day, the ritual of "abduction" of the bride takes place. A worthy ransom must be paid into the bride's house. It 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 this girl comes.
Life in marriage is not 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 severely. There are also special huts where the husband and wife can retire from time to time. They can retire in the forest. Girls are brought up by mothers, and boys from the age of seven are men of the tribe. Children in the tribe are considered common, they are not particularly on ceremony with them. Among the Papuans you will not find such a disease as overprotection.
Here is such a difficult family life the Papuans.
witchcraft law
In 1971, the country passed the Law on Witchcraft. It says that a person who considers himself "bewitched" is not responsible for his actions. Killing a sorcerer is a mitigating circumstance in litigation. Very often, women from another tribe are the victims of the accusation. 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 law on witchcraft will finally be repealed.
One of the most amazing countries in the world Papua New Guinea has the widest cultural diversity. Its territory accommodates about 85 different ethnic groups, there are approximately the same number of languages, and all this despite the fact that the population of the state does not exceed 7 million people.
Papua New Guinea strikes with the diversity of nations, the country has a huge number of indigenous ethnic groups. The most numerous are the Papuans, who inhabited New Guinea even before the arrival of the Portuguese navigators. Some of the Papuan tribes today have practically no contact with the outside world.
Every year the island hosts the Independence Day. Feathers of various exotic birds and a lot of shell decorations serve as a festive outfit for this Papuan. Once upon a time, shells were used here instead of money, but now they are a symbol of prosperity.
This is how the dance of the spirits performed by the Huli tribe living in the Southern Highlands looks like.
During Independence Day, the Goroka festival is held. Papuan tribes believe in spirits and honor the memory of deceased ancestors. On this day, according to tradition, it is customary to completely cover the body with mud and perform a special dance to attract good spirits.
This festival is quite famous, it is very important cultural event for local tribes and takes place in the city of Goroka.
Tari is one of the major settlements in the Southern Highlands. Traditionally, a resident of this settlement looks like this ...
About a hundred tribes take part in the Goroka festival. They all come to show their traditional culture, showcase your dances and music. This festival was first organized by missionaries in the 1950s.
To see real culture various tribes, last years Tourists also began to come to the festival.
The traditional participant of the event is the green spider.
