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 like 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 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. Recent times 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 continues, 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.
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Papua New Guinea- this is one of the most unique countries on earth, located in Oceania, in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean and not far from 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 captivated cultural event 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. AT 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 diverse. 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 uniform 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:
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.
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.
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.
locals they met the stranger quite aggressively: they shot arrows in his direction, shouted intimidatingly, brandished spears ...
But Miklukho-Maclay did not react in any way 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 were looking at the foreign 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 person.
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.
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 unroasted 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.
Photo report from the amazing expedition of the English photographer Jimmy Nelson in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. I advise you to see further 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.
Papua New Guinea is a country that evokes a lot of emotions, though not always pleasant ones. This direction is not very popular among ordinary tourists.
The territory of the state is small, the population barely exceeded 5 million people. Locality, proudly called the city, consists of barracks and bungalows, among which five-story buildings of banks, hotels or other institutions stand forlornly. The Papuans live in small settlements. Houses, if you can call them that, serve only as protection from rain and the scorching sun.
If suddenly the village grows, part of the inhabitants spontaneously separates. So in the villages you can’t count more than a thousand people.
By the way, pay attention to the nozzles for the penis. The longer the nozzle, the higher the status of its owner. The longest nozzle, of course, is owned by the leader of the tribe
In 2012, Papua New Guinea topped the list of the most dangerous countries for tourists. The tourist has no time to set foot on this blessed land, as the eyes of local thieves and scammers immediately turn to him. Therefore, you can’t carry a decent amount with you, someone’s nimble hands can quickly get rid of it.
Contacting the local police is no easy task. With a high degree of probability, you can run into "werewolves" in uniform. If the authorities began demanding payment from you for violating some kind of law in Papua New Guinea, ask them to take you to the station to draw up a report. This is usually more than enough for the law enforcement officer to retreat in search of more gullible prey.
The city of Mount Hagen with the adjacent territory is a hot place. His reputation has left far behind the capital of the country - Port Moresby. The locals will never smile or greet a tourist. Most of them follow the cargo cult, in which all items that can be possessed are sent by their ancestors, and the evil white people take them. So the stern Papuans are praying that some of this good will fall to them too. Who will make a car from palm branches, and who will make an automatic machine.
Local residents do not abuse smoking, preferring to chew betel nut. Guides do not recommend tourists to try it. Although it is not officially equated to drugs, it can make it impossible to move normally for several hours, leading to a loss of coordination. In addition, if you swallow this chewing gum, you can cause serious harm to the stomach. On chewing betel in public places a ban has been introduced. This is done due to the fact that when it reacts with saliva, it turns red, and traces of this gruel cannot be washed off either from clothes, or from tiles, or from any other surface. In hotels and public places, you can even see a sign with a crossed-out betel nut.
The climate in the city is the most suitable for white tourists - the temperature does not rise above 25C. But despite this, few people dare to visit these places. Every hotel, even the smallest, and even more so a bank, is surrounded by a high fence with barbed wire - not every prison in Russia can boast of such protection.
It is not recommended to even leave the hotel building and walk around the protected area at night - with a high degree of probability, some popuas can climb a palm tree and shoot, mistaking a tourist for game.
During the day, it’s also impossible to walk around the city on foot - this is strictly prohibited by the local police. If you happen to pass by, then only in a car with closed windows and under reliable guard.
There is no road communication between towns and villages. There are no usual asphalt roads, at best you can drive along a forest path. Due to heavy rains for several days, even on them it is impossible to move.
This is how the Vevak – Vanimo highway looks like
Aircraft directly to papua new guinea don't fly. You can get there only with a change in Bali or in Australia. You have to travel either by car or by water. And those who would like to look at the beauty of a tropical paradise from a bird's eye view are unlikely to agree to pay $ 2,000 for a plane ticket - such prices for domestic flights were set by the only local air carrier, Air Niugini.
The local population, of course, cannot afford anything like this, so people get to their destination mainly on home-made boats - there is no centralized communication between the islands.
Cannibalism on the islands is gradually disappearing into oblivion. Previously, during tribal wars, the winners ate the defeated tribe and left their skulls as a keepsake.
However, until now, in some settlements, a suspect in witchcraft can be eaten or burned alive. So in 2012, 29 people were arrested. They are charged with premeditated murder of seven people and cannibalism. In February of this year, a woman died as a result of lynching - she was burned alive.
During excursions, guides show tourists with strong nerves mountains of skulls, preserved from those times when it was a matter of honor for the Papuans to eat a neighbor.
According to the tradition of the local population, the skulls of eaten neighbors were stored in "men's" houses. Note the symbolic “hole” in the center of the skull
And how did Miklukho Maclay manage to live here for a whole year?!
