Especially its center is 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...
STILL IN THE STONE AGE
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 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. Sorcerers usually go to people who are weak and unfit for a constant battle for survival - in a word, old people. By witchcraft they make their living.
WHITES ARE OUT OF THE WORLD?
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 their spears... But Miklukho-Maclay did not react to these attacks. 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 nothing more than Tamorus - “Russian man”, or Karaantamo - “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 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 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.
DEATH WITH A SMILE ON THE LIPS
In Papua New Guinea, people believe that the head is the seat of the spiritual and physical strength person. Therefore, when fighting with enemies, the Papuans first of all seek to take possession of this part of the body.
Cannibalism for the Papuans is not at all the desire to eat tasty food, but rather magical rite, during 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 fell in battle.
Especially "productive" in this sense is the process of eating the brain. By the way, it is with this rite 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 the uncooked brains of animals (or, in this case, humans).
This insidious disease was first recorded in 1950 in New Guinea, in a tribe where the brain of dead relatives was considered a delicacy. The disease begins with pain in the joints and head, gradually progressing, leads to loss of coordination, trembling in the arms and legs and, oddly enough, fits of uncontrollable laughter. The disease develops long years sometimes the incubation period is 35 years. But the worst thing is that the victims of the disease die with a frozen smile on their lips.
- Section heading: Peoples of the Earth
- Read: Kuru-kuru or laughing death - a disease of cannibals
Papuan New Guinea
The main tools used by the Papuans for many centuries are an ax, dongan and a knife. The ax is usually made from agate, flint, or the shell of a tridacna. Dongan is a sharp sharpened bone that is constantly worn on the arm, plugged into a bracelet. Dongan is used for cutting and cutting fruits and other purposes. For the same purposes, as well as for cutting meat, the Papuans use knives made of bamboo. A bamboo knife cuts much better than a dongan, it is also stronger than it.
The weapon used by the Papuans for different goals quite varied. So hagda is a two-meter throwing spear made of solid heavy wood. Another, lighter servaru spear is made with a bamboo tip, and is decorated with feathers and fur. When it hits the victim, the tip breaks off and remains in the wound. Another throwing spear, yur, has at the end not one, but several sharp tips.
Aral bows made by the Papuans are up to 2 m long. The Aral-ge arrow used with a bow is 1 m long and ends with a wooden tip. More dangerous is an arrow with a palom, with a wide bamboo tip. The saran arrow is used specifically for hunting fish. The Papuans also have various clubs and shields.
Previously, the clothes of the Papuans consisted of a belt, for men it was red, and for women it was in red and black stripes. Bracelets were worn on the arm (sagyu) and on the legs (samba-sagyu). In addition, the body was decorated with objects threaded through the holes, kekee (in the nose) and bul (in the mouth). Of the things, bags were used, yambi and goon - small, for tobacco and small items, they were worn around the neck, and a large bag on the shoulder. Women had their own, women's bags (nangeli-ge). Belts and bags are made from bast or fibers different trees, whose names are not in Russian (tauvi, mal-sel, yavan-sel). Ropes are made from nug-sel wood fibers, and anchor ropes are made from bu-sel wood. The resin of the Gutur tree is used as an adhesive.
The food of the Papuans is mainly vegetable, but pork, meat of dogs, chickens, rats, lizards, beetles, mollusks, and fish are also consumed. All fruits are usually baked or boiled, including bananas. The breadfruit is not held in high esteem, but is eaten.
In general, the set herbal products quite diverse: munki - coconuts, moga - bananas, dep - sugarcane, mogar - beans, kengar - nuts, baum - sago, keu - a cava-type drink, and also use such fruits as ayan, bau, degarol, aus, which do not have Russian names.
Folklore, songs, dances are widespread among the Papuans, there are also myths and legends passed down from generation to generation. Almost all holidays of the Papuans are called ai, where only men are allowed. The biggest holiday among the Papuans is sing-sing. Songs (singing is called mun) and dances among the Papuans are very simple, and the melody is different songs varies very little. Musical instruments are made by the Papuans from various improvised materials.
The musical instrument i-kabral is a hollow bamboo trunk, about 2 meters long, into which they blow, shout, howl. Munch-ai is made from the shell of a coconut: two holes are made in the nut, one is blown into, and the other is plugged. The hal-ai pipe is also made from the root, and is used similarly to munki-ai. Orlan-ay is a handle with laces with empty nut shells hanging on them, which, when shaken, make characteristic sounds. The Papuans also have an okam drum.
The Papuans have well-developed woodcarving, they make very complex ornaments that decorate weapons and other items.
The traditional beliefs of the Papuans are close to the Australian and Melanesian ones. The marind-anim has a cult close to the Australian one, this is totemism. Dema is a totemic ancestor. Myths mostly tell about the exploits of half-animals, half-humans. They have a secret cult of Mayo associated with initiations. Other Papuans already have different cults, mainly a belief in various magic, harmful, healing, economic. The term "onym" means witchcraft and poison, and any medicinal drug. Onim is considered the cause of all diseases, troubles and death. and they are afraid of him. Often, a neighboring tribe is considered the culprit of troubles.
The cult of ancestors and skulls is of great importance. The Papuans make korvaras - images of ancestors (stylized human figures), in the area of the Astrolabe Bay, where Miklouho-Maclay used to be, they are called telums.
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. Quite civilized people now live on the coast of the island of New Guinea, 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. 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 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. Trusting 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 vus are placed here - the abode of some 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 the funeral ceremony, the 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 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.
(average: 4,67
out of 5)
Papua New Guinea- this is one of the most unique countries on earth, located in Oceania, in the southwestern part Pacific Ocean and close to the equator. With a population of only 7 million people, about 300 cultural communities coexist here, communicating in more than 850 languages!
The name "Papua" comes from the Malay word "papuva", which means "curly" in Russian. And today we will get acquainted with the indigenous people - Papuans and their beautiful tribal coloring. Color report. (Photos by Rita Willaert).
As we said before nickname "Papua" comes from the Malay word "papuva", which is translated into Russian means "curly"(according to another version from "orang papua" - "curly black-headed man"). This name was given to the island of New Guinea by the Portuguese Menezes in 1526, noting the shape of the hair of the locals.
The island of New Guinea and most of the country's other islands have mountainous relief. The height of a significant part of the territory is more than 1000 m above sea level, and some peaks of New Guinea reach 4500 m, that is, the belt of eternal snow.
Independence Day. The head of this Papuan is decorated with feathers of pigeons, parrots and other exotic birds. Jewelry around the neck are symbols of prosperity. Goroka City, Papua New Guinea:
Many of the mountain ranges are chains of volcanoes. Papua New Guinea has 18 active volcanoes. Most of of which are located in the north of the country. Strong, sometimes catastrophic earthquakes are also associated with volcanic activity.
The Goroka Festival is probably the most famous cultural event captivated in papua new guinea. It is held once a year in the city of Goroka:
The culture of Papua New Guinea is extremely diverse and it is hardly possible to single out a single type of tradition or way of life for the whole country. Even within the same district or region, representatives of several dozen nationalities can live, often practically unrelated either by origin or language.
Independence Day. About 100 tribes come here to show their dances, music and culture. IN last years this festival attracts many tourists as it is one of the few opportunities to see the tribes and their colorful traditions. Goroka City, Papua New Guinea:
Green Spiderman, Goroka City, Papua New Guinea:
Many remote Papuan tribes still have only minor contact with the outside world.
Vegetation and animal world Papua New Guinea is rich and varied. More than 20 thousand plant species grow there. Along the coast of the island of New Guinea, a wide (in some places up to 35 km) strip of mangrove vegetation stretches.
Above 1000-2000 m, the forests become more monotonous in composition, coniferous species begin to predominate in them.
The fauna of the country is represented by reptiles, insects and especially numerous birds. In the forests and on the coast there are many snakes, including poisonous ones, and lizards.
A unique cassowary bird lives in Papua New Guinea (one of the largest birds on earth, weighing more than 70 kg). One of the most venomous snakes, the tai pan, is also found here. It has enough poison to kill 80 adults.
White and black coloring with red eyes:
Hornbill beak:
Handsome:
"Curly people":
Under a giant snake. Goroka City, Papua New Guinea:
All possible colors:
Jewelry in the form of a large penis. This is a sign of good fertility in the tribe:
Notice the legs painted white. City of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea:
City of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea:
The head of the Papuan is decorated with feathers of the Bird of Paradise (lat. Paradisaeidae):
Exotic Fur and Bird of Paradise Feathers:
Photo report from the amazing expedition of the English photographer Jimmy Nelson in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. I advise you to look further at how the tribes live in this territory, until they finally disappeared from the face of the Earth.
Huli
Papua New Guinea
It is believed that the first people migrated to the island of New Guinea more than 45 thousand years ago. Today, more than 3 million people (half the population of Papua New Guinea) live in the highlands. Many of the local communities have been involved in inter-tribal conflicts of various sizes over the millennia.
The struggle between the tribes is for land, pigs and women. Incredible efforts are made to impress the enemy. Huli men, the largest of the local tribes, paint their faces yellow, red and white, and are famous for the tradition of making wigs from their own hair. An ax with a claw completes the frightening effect.
Asaro
Papua New Guinea
Small agrarian clans live throughout the highland plateau, differing in customs and traditions, speaking different languages. The famous "dirty" Asaro met with representatives for the first time Western world only in the middle of the 20th century.
In accordance with ancient legend, the men of this tribe were forced to flee from the enemy, and at night they took refuge near the Asaro River. At dawn, the enemy saw them rise to their feet, completely covered in mud, and decided that they were spirits. The Asaro still use mud and masks to terrify other tribes.
Kalam
Papua New Guinea
The eastern half of New Guinea gained full independence from Australia in 1975, when the state of Papua New Guinea was formed. Indigenous people is one of the most heterogeneous in the world. The first visitors were greatly impressed by the carefully planned gardens and ditches in the valleys. The women of these tribes are very good farmers. Men hunt and fight with other tribes.
goroka
Papua New Guinea
Life is simple in the highland villages. There's enough good food here strong families and reverent attitude towards natural phenomena. Humans make a living by hunting, gathering plants, and growing crops... and of course, tribal warfare.
Dani
Indonesia
The Baliem Valley is located at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level, on the Jayavijaya mountain range, in the province of Papua, located in the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea. The Dani tribe lives in this valley. They are farmers and they have efficient system irrigation. Archaeological studies prove that people cultivated this valley already 9 thousand years ago.
The Dani often had to fight for their territory, protecting it from raids by other tribes. They are called the most terrible bounty hunters in these parts. This is surprising given the fact that they did not eat their enemies, unlike most of the other Papua tribes.
Yali
Indonesia
One of the tribes inhabiting the Baliem Valley region are the "Lords of the Earth" Yali. They live in the virgin forests of the highlands. Yali are officially recognized as pygmies - men here grow no more than up to 150 cm.
The Papuan tribes, which differ in appearance and speak different languages, have a similar way of life. They are all polygamists, they have similar rituals for important occasions. Koteka - a kind of penis case made from the fruit of a dried calabash gourd, is part of traditional clothes and a sign of tribal identity.
Korowai
Indonesia
To the south of the Jayavijaya mountain range lies the lowland large area. There are many rivers, swamps, swamps and mangroves. This is the habitat of the Korowai tribe, whose people until the early 1970s believed that they - the only people on the ground.
The Korowai are one of the few Papuan tribes that do not wear the Kotek. Instead, the men wrap their personal belongings in large leaves of local plants, and are firmly tied. They are hunter-gatherers living in tree houses. Strictly separate male and female rights and duties.
