Welcome to one of the most untouched corners of the earth. Papua New Guinea. This is a state of impenetrable tropical forests, home to 38 species of birds of paradise. There are not a few cars and bicycles here, not even work horses or mules. There are no restaurants, bars, shops, electricity or roads. In these places, a newborn girl can be called a shovel, and a boy - an ax.
About 2,000 tribes live in these places, including these freaks - Mud people from the Waghi valley.
To find this unusual tribe, we will go to the center of the island of New Guinea at an altitude of 1677 meters, where the large fertile Wahgi valley is located. Here, by the way, is the fifth largest city of Papua New Guinea with a population of 46,250 people - Mount Hagen. It is also the so-called "border of civilization", because the territories of mountain tribes go further.
The members of our tribe of Mud People from the Waghi Valley look very colorful. Their bodies are painted and smeared with clay, and frightening masks are on their heads. Enemies will definitely think 10 times before advancing further. 
Look how awesome! 
Handsome. 
There is a language problem in Papua New Guinea - more than 800 different languages are spoken here, and very often members of the same tribe do not understand what neighbors who are just a few kilometers away are saying. 
The state of Papua New Guinea is located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, north of Australia and not far from the equator. 
The island of New Guinea and most of the other islands of the country have a mountainous terrain where the hill tribes live. 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. Many of the mountain ranges are chains of volcanoes. Papua New Guinea has 18 active volcanoes. Most of them are located in the north of the country. Strong, sometimes catastrophic earthquakes are also associated with volcanic activity. 
With plants here, as expected, it is rich - more than 20 thousand plant species grow. Dense rainforests, formed by hundreds of tree species, rise up the slopes of the mountains. 
As the world's largest and largest tropical island, New Guinea covers less than 0.5% of the land surface but maintains a high percentage of global biodiversity. Approximately 4,642 vertebrate species inhabit the island of New Guinea and its adjacent waters, representing about 8% of the world's recognized vertebrate species. 
The fauna of the country is represented by reptiles, insects and especially numerous birds. There are many snakes in the forests and on the coast, including poisonous ones. Crocodiles and turtles are found near the sea coasts and in large rivers. 
And the mud people from Papua New Guinea say it's time for us to go home. 
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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 are mountainous. 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 them 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. In recent years, this festival has attracted 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.
The flora and fauna of 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:
Papua New Guinea. Goroka Show. Papuan is festive. October 8th, 2013
I thought for a long time where to start the story of a trip to such a strange place. To be honest, the impressions from the 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 the country's numerous tribes demonstrate their cultural traditions, wear their best outfits (decorating 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 their 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 decided to take a picture of you, then the costume was a success :)
The Yali are the wildest and most dangerous cannibal tribe of the 21st century, numbering over 20,000. In their opinion, cannibalism is a common thing and there is nothing special about it, eating the enemy is a virtue for them, and not the most cruel way of reprisal. Their leader says that this is the same as a fish eats a fish, the one who is stronger wins. For yali, this is to some extent a ritual, during which the power of the enemy he eats passes to the winner.
The government of New Guinea is trying to fight the inhuman addictions of its wild citizens. Yes, and their adoption of Christianity influenced their psychological perception - the number of cannibal feasts significantly decreased.
The most experienced warriors remember cooking recipes from enemies. With imperturbable calmness, one can even say with pleasure, they say that the buttocks of the enemy are the most delicious part of a person, for them this is a true delicacy!
Even now, the inhabitants of Yali believe that pieces of human flesh enrich them spiritually, eating the victim with the pronunciation of the name of the enemy gives special strength. Therefore, having visited the most terrible place on the planet, it is better not to pronounce your name to the savages, so as not to provoke them into the ritual of your eating.
Recently, the Yali tribe believes in the existence of the savior of all mankind - Christ, therefore they do not eat people with white skin. The reason for this is that the white color is associated in the inhabitants with the color of death. However, recently there was an incident - in Irian Jaya, as a result of strange events, a Japanese correspondent disappeared. Probably, they do not consider people with yellow and black skin to be servants of an old woman with a scythe.
Since the time of colonization, the life of the tribe has not changed much, as well as the attire of these jet-black citizens of New Guinea. Yali women are almost completely naked, their daytime attire consists only of a skirt with vegetable fibers. Men, in turn, go naked, covering their reproductive organ with a case (halim), which is made from a dried bottle gourd. According to them, the process of making clothes for men requires great skills.
As the pumpkin grows, a weight in the form of a stone is tied to it, which is strengthened with threads of vines to give an interesting shape. At the final stage of cooking, the pumpkin is decorated with feathers and shells. It is worth noting that Halim also serves as a "purse" in which men store roots and tobacco. The inhabitants of the tribe also love decorations made of shells and beads. But the perception of beauty in them is peculiar. For example, they knock out the front two teeth of local beauties in order to make them even more attractive.
The noble, beloved and only occupation of men is hunting. And yet in the villages of the tribe you can find livestock - chickens, pigs and opossums, which are watched by women. It also happens that several clans hold large-scale meals at once, where everyone has his own place and the social status of each savage is taken into account in terms of food distribution. They do not take alcoholic drinks, but they use the bright red pulp of the batel nut - for them it is a local drug, so tourists can often see them with a red mouth and blurred eyes ...
During the period of joint meals, clans exchange gifts. Although the Yalis cannot be called very hospitable people, they will accept gifts from guests with great pleasure. In a special way, they appreciate bright shirts and shorts. The peculiarity is that they put shorts on their heads, and use a shirt as a skirt. This is due to the fact that they do not contain soap, the result of which will be that unwashed clothes can cause skin diseases over time.
Even though the Yalis have officially stopped feuding with neighboring tribes and eating victims, only the most "frostbitten" adventurers can go to these inhuman parts of the world. According to the stories of this area, savages still sometimes allow themselves to carry out barbaric acts of eating the flesh of enemies. But in order to justify their actions, they come up with different stories that the victim either drowned or crashed from a cliff.
The government of New Guinea has developed a powerful program for bodybuilding and raising the standard of living of the inhabitants of the island, including this tribe. The plan is for the hill tribes to relocate to the valley, with officials promising to provide the settlers with an ample supply of rice and building materials, as well as a free TV in every home.
The citizens of the valley were forced to wear Western clothing in government buildings and schools. The government has even taken measures such as declaring the territory of the savages a national park where hunting is prohibited. Naturally, the Yalis began to oppose the resettlement, since out of the first 300 people, 18 died and this was in the very first month (from malaria).
Even more disappointing to the surviving settlers was what they saw - they were given barren land, rotten houses. As a result, the government's strategy collapsed and the settlers returned to their beloved mountainous regions, where they still live, rejoicing in the "protection of the spirits of their ancestors."
: https://p-i-f.livejournal.com
When we talk about something outdated, we say: the stone age. We are trying to imagine how our ancestors lived, and museums help us a lot in this, in which we can see all the attributes of “that century” - stone axes, flint scrapers and arrowheads. There are many books, pictures and films devoted to this. But not everyone knows that we have a unique opportunity to observe the people of "that time" in the present.
The spaces of the Earth today are mastered, inhabited, filled with people, in places to the point of being very cramped. And yet there are “nooks and crannies” on Earth where, without a “time machine” that has never been invented, you are surprised to find life as it was in the Stone Age, when people did not yet know either iron or bronze, when the ageless yellow metal still did not drive the human race crazy. One of these corners of relic life is located in the eastern part of the island of New Guinea, on the Bismarck archipelago and the northern part of the Solomon Islands, it is there that the state of Papua New Guinea is located.
Tribes that have preserved the original way of life of their ancestors, who cannot write and read, who do not know what electricity and a car are, who get their food by fishing and hunting. They believe that it is the gods who send them rain and try to protect themselves from contact with our modern world. It is Papua New Guinea that accommodates several dozen unique tribes on its territory.
Many scientist-missionaries tried to get into the lives of representatives of various tribes, but few returned from there alive ... practically no one! In scientific terms, the daredevils were destroyed by the cannibalism of the Papua tribes. They did not accept strangers - violation of their space led to death.
Now everything has changed. The inhabitants of many tribes gladly receive guests and watch the representatives of civilization with no less mutual interest.
There are few places on Earth with such a diversity of languages, customs and cultures. Imagine - on one part of the island live officials, businessmen, workers wearing European clothes and having an education - modern people, and on the other - mountain tribes that have not stepped over the Stone Age. They fight among themselves and do not understand the language of the tribes from the neighboring valley. And for us, their life is amazing. It is so strange that in the 21st century there are still peoples living in primitive times. But we are as wild to them as they are to us.
Here are a few of the tribes of Papua New Guinea. 
tribute tribe has long been unknown, and the high mountains of West Papua have long been considered uninhabited.
The places here are beautiful and the people are nice, one problem - strangers could not establish contact with them in any way. Everyone disappeared without a trace - both travelers and missionaries.
In 1954, the first Christian missionary parachuted down here. So the local population learned that they are not alone on this earth.
It is almost impossible to believe in it, but the stone ax here remains the main tool of labor, and the arrow and bow - the main weapon. But hunting feeds them less and less, because. the number of animals is reduced - civilization is advancing.
Dani are heavy smokers. Everyone smokes from them - from children to the elderly. The first meeting with Dani may seem aggressive - this is a ritual in the form of hostilities, with which they greet the natives. So it is better to prepare mentally for a meeting with them.
Papua is an amazing island. Here lives a hundredth of a percent of all mankind, which speaks 15% of all languages in the world! Even the Dani use four different dialects.
For some time, the Dutch missionaries did not understand why they were asked to stand upwind when they walked with members of this tribe - it turned out that the Dani did not really like the smell of a white man. The sensations were mutual - the smell that comes from the tribute is also unusual for a white person.
The tribute has a terrible tradition - they are very upset by the loss of loved ones, and when this happens, a man cuts off a piece of his ear with a bamboo knife, and women cut off the phalanges of their fingers.
It will probably be a long time before the Internet, social networks and other nonsense of civilization will reach the tribes of Papua New Guinea. Then, perhaps, here too they will talk about loneliness and selfishness, vanity and cynicism. In the meantime, the tribute has everything in common and they have much fewer problems, or they are completely different than in "our" world.
The main wealth of the Dani people is pigs. Everything here is measured in pigs. The wealth of a person here can be determined by two things - the number of wives and the number of pigs. For ceremonies and holidays, the pig is very important for tribute. If you are going to visit them and want to make friends - buy a pig and be a welcome guest!
Dani are excellent farmers - their harvest is an abundance of vegetables and fruits. Women wear grass skirts, while men wear katheka, an item that is worn in a causal place and is the only element of a man's clothing. To the question: “Can a man walk without a katheka?” one traveler received an answer: “No, of course, without harim you are like naked! We'll have to hide behind our hands so that women don't see! Of course, people who live close to Wamena and often go there already wear clothes. But, despite some erotic costume of local men, the morals of the tribute are strict. The licentiousness that is characteristic of people in other parts of the world does not belong there!
Dani live quite a long time and rarely get sick - both life in the open air and physical labor affect this. It is clear that this contributes to longevity. And this is with terrible unsanitary conditions, which they will so generously share with you, treating you to their outlandish dishes. But they live and do not even complain! In general, their immunity can only be envied.
And there is something incredibly touching in these people and something that we no longer have - simplicity and sincerity.
Someday, the fruits of civilization and technological progress will reach this tribe, and the tribute will change. And become like us...
The next representatives of the "Stone Age" are doe tribe. Arriving on their land, do not be surprised if you see a considerable number of abandoned huts. The fact is that the people of the deer tribe, wherever they stay, even for a few hours, build huts from branches, bamboo, leaves and ferns to protect from rain.
Not so long ago, the glory of cannibals followed the fallow deer tribe. The connection of the fallow deer with the civilized world is still practically not established. In exchange for knives, matches, and pots, they offer hospitality in a hut filled with acrid smoke.
In general, the tribal people of Papua are an amazing people, able to live in perfect harmony with nature, earning their living by hunting and farming. The men look robust and wear the same "clothes" as the Dani men. Clothes are not worn here even in the cold, in such cases the body is rubbed with pork fat.
The appearance of women will be simpler - they are dressed in skirts made of plant fibers, they wear a long net on their heads, descending to their backs like a bag in which they keep personal items, including babies or pigs. Their fingers are often horribly mutilated, the result of ritual amputation as a sign of mourning for relatives. So, finger by finger, the fallow deer tribe sacrifices part of themselves in memory of loved ones...
According to the authorities, there are no more cases of cannibalism in the Papua tribes, but some people assure that bloody battles between the tribes still flare up in the depths of the island, in the most remote and difficult places, which are a continuation of the long-term enmity. In case of victory, they simply perform the traditional ritual - eating the enemy's body.
But, despite all the “stonyness” of the deer’s life, they still had an inevitable meeting with a white man, and therefore with metal knives, plastic buckets, T-shirts, jeans, missionaries, anthropologists and tourists.
Yali tribe 35 years ago, they ate “human flesh”. Today it is the turn of civilization - it "eats" them. Missionaries, by interfering in their lives, are gradually destroying the original culture, and the Indonesian government unceremoniously seizes the territory that has belonged to the yali since antiquity. Now the Yali tribe is about 20 thousand people.
The very first acquaintance of the Yali with white people happened more than 50 years ago, but this meeting practically did not change anything in the life of the Papuans. Except for the changes, such trifles as the appearance of metal pots and pans in the life of the yali. Their appearance differs little from the appearance of other natives of New Guinea. Their height is very small (the tallest Yali is one and a half meters), and they still go naked. On women from clothes there is only a kind of mini-skirt, and men put on a kateka on their manhood - a kind of cover made from a dried pumpkin.
Yali are very hardworking, their main occupation is agriculture, they grow sweet potatoes, bananas, corn, tobacco. They eat only what they have grown themselves and what nature gives them. The only factory-made food product that is very popular in the Yali is dry vermicelli "Mivina"! What can be seen by driving through the Jungle, where wrappers from this fast food are scattered in places.
The Yali are one of the few tribes that are known for cannibalism. The aborigines have various tricks and weapons for attacking people, which is worth one black bow made of palm wood and for which there is a whole arsenal of arrows for different prey. And among these arrows on birds and other living creatures there are arrows on people. According to the Yali, the buttocks are considered the most delicious delicacy. They see nothing reprehensible in cannibalism. But according to many travelers and the island's authorities, yali no longer eat people with white skin. Since the white color for them is mourning. It seems to them that white people are servants of death.
They live according to the principle "girls - to the left, boys - to the right", i.e. women with children live separately from men. But when the boys reach the age of 4, they move to the "men's house".
What can break such an orderly way of life? The answer is simple - war. The most surprising thing is that a perfect trifle can become the cause, but if not a trifle, then definitely not a reason for starting a war. The pig, or rather its disappearance - here it is, the "global" cause of strife. And if this happens, the yali immediately take up their bows and spears, ready to attack. Everything is explained by the fact that among the Papuans a pig is worth its weight in gold, for one well-fed boar you can buy yourself a wife. Here is such an exchange.
But yali can please themselves with a fried wild boar extremely rarely, only on holidays. For example, a wedding or a ceremony of initiation, that is, the becoming of a boy was a man - this is where you can smoke a pig. And on weekdays, you have to walk around an appetizing pig and “please” yourself with a semi-edible root or New Guinean carrot.
Missionaries are increasingly "infiltrated" into the life of the tribe, trying to make their life more civilized. They bring them medicines, teach children to read and write, build small hydroelectric power plants, landing sites for helicopters, bridges on rivers... But at the same time, the territory where the Yali tribe lives is declared a national park, and therefore hunting is prohibited there, which deprives the tribe of food. There were attempts to relocate the yalis closer to civilization, tk. earthquakes are frequent here, but in the valley, the Yali people begin to get malaria.
At a time when cannibalism in New Guinea had not yet slowed down, the local authorities, in order to ensure the safety of tourists, obliged all visitors to take permission from the police and tell them their data - the approximate route of the expedition. Probably, so that at least they know in which bowler hat to look for them later ...
By the will of fate Asmat tribe settled in the wettest and marshy area with a high degree of humidity and the richest source of diseases.
They live in the region of the same name in the province of Papua in Indonesia. The number of the Asmat people is estimated at about 70,000. The Asmat are professionals in the field of wood carving, their products are highly valued among collectors.
The culture and way of life of the Asmat people are very dependent on natural resources extracted from forests, rivers and seas. Asmat live on starch extracted from sago palms, fish, game and other animal and plant species that can be found on the island. Due to frequent floods, Asmats put their dwellings on wooden beams - two or more meters above ground level. In some regions, the dwellings of the Papuans are located 25 meters from the ground.
Asmats, as well as other tribes of Papua, at one time “sinned” with cannibalism.
They still have many interesting ways to use parts of the human body - the use of the skull as a "pillow" under the head or a child's toy, the human tibia was used as a dart.
And now they will help guests build a house, every day they will supply you with fish, shrimp and boar meat in exchange for fishing line, hooks, razor blades, matches, salt, knives, axes or machetes. Some of them will take the time to help you learn their language, which at first will overwhelm you with an incredible mixture of incoherent mumbling, cooing and clucking.
Korowai - a tribe that lives in trees
The Korowai tribe is one of the most interesting and unique finds for anthropologists and other researchers. They live in the eastern region of Indonesia in the trees and speak the only language they understand. According to the census conducted this year, the natives of this tribe, there were about 3,000 people. They skillfully climb stairs to their wooden houses, located at a height of 50 or more meters from the ground. The height at which the house is located depends on the relationship with fellow tribesmen. The worse the relationship, the higher the house. For construction, trees are cut down, on which a rather specific structure is installed. This is incredible: there, at the height, along with members of one or two families, there are also dogs, pigs and other living creatures. You can climb to this house only along a very thin wooden ladder - along a bamboo stalk with cut steps.
Until the end of the 1970s, when anthropologists began to study this tribe, the Korowai did not know about the existence of other people besides their own tribe. The tribe's favorite dish is beetle larvae. To do this, sago trees are cut down 4-6 weeks before the feast and left to rot in the swamp, where they are filled with these larvae. At a suitable stage of development of the larvae, the trees are "opened" with a stone ax or a sharp spear. Beetles are eaten both raw and fried. They have a pretty good taste. In the protein-starved world of the Korowai, these beetles are one of several important sources of fat.
They greet guests attentively, but wary. They can treat you with their delicacy - a dish of sago starch. They also eat bananas and pineapples. Pork is a luxury for them, they probably eat it once a year. But it is not so easy to communicate with representatives of this tribe - they didn’t like something, they immediately ran upstairs and closed.
One of the most mysterious peoples of the earth - tribe harvesters. Until recently, they practiced cannibalism. Many missionaries have tried to understand what makes tribes eat their own kind?
In order to understand another culture, one must become a part of it. This is what many scientists-travelers did. No roads, no concrete, no buildings, no telegraph poles - just miles of jungle. These people live deep in the forest and are hunters and gatherers. The journey to them could have taken several weeks if not for the network of airfields built by the missionaries. In Wangamale, built in the 70s, about a hundred representatives of the Kombai tribe live. They wear European clothes, the children go to school, and on Sundays everyone gathers for Mass. After the missionaries came to them, the Kombai did not immediately accept them and were very hostile. But after the missionaries gave them clothes, dishes, tobacco, their attitude changed. It is much easier for people who live in villages than for those who live in the jungle. Seeing a man in clothes, they hide and shoot at him. These people still eat each other to this day.
Don't be surprised if they ask you to undress when they meet. Perhaps in order to make sure that you are ready to speak Their language, following Their traditions. Kombai walk naked, covering only the groin area with leaves. For an outsider, invading one of the clans can cost them their lives. If you approach one of the huts alone, then you can be shot. There are no utensils that we use. Imagine what it's like to live without pans and utensils in which to boil water and even without drinking utensils - there are only leaves and stones.
Smoking is their favorite pastime and it is surprising that these people do not have problems with their lungs, at least they calmly move around the mountains and slopes without experiencing shortness of breath.
In this society, duties are clearly divided into male and female. When the men cut down the tree, the women take the core out of it. Their life seems easy. When they want to eat, they go hunting, and the rest of the time they rest.
It is hard to imagine that these calm and good-natured people can be cannibals. Different world cultures explain cannibalism in different ways. Reasons range from simple hunger to honoring the dead. In some tribes, cannibalism is considered a form of execution - only criminals are eaten. It is believed that if a person is evil, he must be eaten. The Kombai believe that the soul resides in the belly and brain. That is why these parts of the body need to be eaten. “If a bad person kills someone from my family, I will kill him. If he is from another village, I will eat him. If he is from our village, I will give him to be eaten by all my neighbors.” Like this. This morality they follow now.
The jungle is covered with a carpet of their thorns, but the kombai do not care. They don't wear shoes, which makes their feet stiff and insensitive.
Traveling around Papua can be a good school of life. Having been close to the danger and difficult conditions of life, you evaluate your life in a new way and find it extremely important what you previously treated with inexcusable carelessness.
