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 honor the spirits of their ancestors...
STILL IN THE STONE AGE
On the coast of the island of New Guinea there are now quite civilized people who know the official language - English. Missionaries worked with them for many years.
However, in the center of the country there is something like a reservation - nomadic tribes who still live in the Stone Age. They know every tree by name, bury the dead on its branches, have no idea what money or passports are... They are surrounded by a mountainous country overgrown with impenetrable jungle, where high humidity and unimaginable heat make life unbearable for a European. No one there speaks a word of English, and each tribe speaks its own language, of which there are about 900 in New Guinea. The tribes live very isolated from each other, communication between them is almost impossible, so their dialects have little in common, and people are different they simply don’t understand their friend.
A typical settlement where the Papuan tribe lives: modest huts are covered with huge leaves, in the center there is something like a clearing where the whole tribe gathers, and there is jungle around for many kilometers. The only weapons these people have are stone axes, spears, bows and arrows. But it is not with their help that they hope to protect themselves from evil spirits. That's why they have faith in gods and spirits.
The Papuan tribe usually keeps the mummy of the “chief”. This is some outstanding ancestor - the bravest, strongest and smartest, who fell in battle with the enemy. After death, his body was treated with a special composition to avoid decay. The leader's body is kept by the sorcerer.
It is in every tribe. This character is highly revered among his relatives. Its function is mainly to communicate with the spirits of the ancestors, appease them and ask for advice. People who are weak and unsuitable for the constant battle for survival usually become sorcerers—in a word, old people. They earn their living by witchcraft.
ARE WHITES FROM THIS WORLD?
The first white man to arrive on this exotic continent was the Russian traveler Miklouho-Maclay.
Having landed on the shores of New Guinea in September 1871, he, being an absolutely peaceful man, decided not to take weapons ashore, taking only gifts and a notebook, which he never parted with.
Local residents greeted the stranger quite aggressively: they shot arrows in his direction, shouted intimidatingly, waved spears... But Miklouho-Maclay did not react to these attacks. On the contrary, he sat down on the grass with the most equanimity, pointedly took off his shoes and lay down to take a nap. By an effort of will, the traveler forced himself to fall asleep (or just pretended to). And when he woke up, he saw that the Papuans were sitting peacefully next to him and looking at the overseas guest with all their eyes. The savages reasoned this way: since the pale-faced man is not afraid of death, it means he is immortal. That's what they decided on.
The traveler lived for several months among a tribe of savages. All this time, the aborigines worshiped him and revered him as a god. They knew that if desired, the mysterious guest could command the forces of nature. How is it? It’s just that one day Miklouho-Maclay, who was called only Tamorus - “Russian man”, or Karaantamo - “man from the Moon”, demonstrated the following trick to the Papuans: he poured water into a plate with alcohol and set it on fire. Gullible local residents They believed that a foreigner was able to set fire to the sea or stop the rain.
However, Papuans are generally gullible. For example, they are firmly convinced that the dead go to their own country and return from there white, bringing with them many useful items and food. This belief lives on in all Papuan tribes (despite the fact that they hardly communicate with each other), even in those where they have never seen a white man.
FUNERAL RITE
Papuans know three causes of death: from old age, from war and from witchcraft - if the death occurred for some unknown reason. If a person dies a natural death, he will be buried with honor. All funeral ceremonies are aimed at appeasing the spirits who accept the soul of the deceased.
Here typical example such a ritual. Close relatives of the deceased go to the stream to perform bisi as a sign of mourning - smearing the head and other parts of the body with yellow clay. At this time, the men prepare a funeral pyre in the center of the village. Not far from the fire, a place is being prepared where the deceased will rest before cremation. Shells and sacred stones are placed here - the abode of a certain mystical power. Touching these living stones is strictly punishable by the laws of the tribe. On top of the stones there should be a long wicker strip decorated with pebbles, which acts as a bridge between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
The deceased is placed on sacred stones, coated with pork fat and clay, and sprinkled with bird feathers. Then funeral songs begin to be sung over him, which tell about the outstanding merits of the deceased.
And finally, the body is burned at the stake so that the person’s spirit does not return from the afterlife.
TO THE FALLEN IN BATTLE - GLORY!
If a man is killed in battle, his body is roasted on a fire and eaten honorably with rituals appropriate to the occasion, so that his strength and courage will pass on to other men.
Three days after this, the phalanges of the fingers of the deceased’s wife are cut off as a sign of mourning. This custom is connected with another ancient Papuan legend.
One man mistreated his wife. She died and went to the next world. But her husband missed her and could not live alone. He went to another world for his wife, approached the main spirit and began to beg to return his beloved to the world of the living. The Spirit set a condition: his wife would return, but only if he promised to treat her with care and kindness. The man, of course, was delighted and promised everything at once. His wife returned to him. But one day her husband forgot and forced her to work hard again. When did he come to his senses and remember this promise, it was already too late: his wife broke up before his eyes. All her husband had left was a phalanx of his finger. The tribe was angry and expelled him because he took away their immortality - the opportunity to return from the other world like his wife.
However, in reality, for some reason, the wife cuts off the phalanx of her finger as a sign of the last gift to her deceased husband. The father of the deceased performs the nasuk ritual - he cuts himself off with a wooden knife. top part ear and then covers the bleeding wound with clay. This ceremony is quite long and painful.
After the funeral ceremony, Papuans honor and appease the spirit of the ancestor. For, if his soul is not appeased, the ancestor will not leave the village, but will live there and cause harm. The spirit of the ancestor is fed for some time as if it were alive, and they even try to give it sexual pleasure. For example, a clay figurine of a tribal god is placed on a stone with a hole, symbolizing a woman.
The afterlife in the minds of the Papuans is a kind of paradise, where there is a lot of food, especially meat.
DEATH WITH A SMILE ON YOUR LIPS
In Papua New Guinea, people believe that the head is the seat of a person's spiritual and physical strength. Therefore, when fighting enemies, Papuans first of all strive to take possession of this part of the body.
For the Papuans, cannibalism is not at all a desire to eat tasty food, but rather a 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 died in battle.
The process of eating the brain is especially “productive” in this sense. By the way, it is with this ritual that doctors associate the disease kuru, which is very common among cannibals. Kuru is another name for mad cow disease, which can be contracted by eating uncooked animal brains (or, in in this case, person).
This insidious disease was first recorded in 1950 in New Guinea, in a tribe where the brains of deceased relatives were considered a delicacy. The disease begins with pain in the joints and head, gradually progressing, leading to loss of coordination, trembling in the arms and legs and, oddly enough, bouts of uncontrollable laughter. The disease develops long years, sometimes the incubation period is 35 years. But the worst thing is that victims of the disease die with a frozen smile on their lips.
Each nation has its own cultural characteristics, historically established customs and national traditions, some or even many of which cannot be understood by representatives of other nations.
We present to your attention shocking facts about the customs and traditions of the Papuans, which, to put it mildly, not everyone will understand.
Papuans mummify their leaders
Papuans have their own way of showing respect for deceased leaders. They do not bury them, but store them in huts. Some of the creepy, distorted mummies are up to 200-300 years old.
Some Papuan tribes have preserved the custom of dismembering the human body.
The largest Papuan tribe in eastern New Guinea, the Huli, has acquired a bad reputation. In the past they were known as headhunters and eaters human meat. Now it is believed that nothing like this is happening anymore. However, anecdotal evidence indicates that human dismemberment occurs from time to time during magical rituals.
Many men in New Guinea tribes wear kotekas
Papuans living in the highlands of New Guinea wear kotekas, sheaths worn over their male parts. Kotek is made from local varieties of calabash gourd. They replace panties for Papuans.
When women lost relatives, they cut off their fingers
The female part of the Papuan Dani tribe often walked without phalanges of fingers. They cut them off for themselves when they lost close relatives. Today you can still see fingerless old women in villages.
Papuans breastfeed not only children, but also animal cubs
The obligatory bride price is measured in pigs. At the same time, the bride's family is obliged to take care of these animals. Women even feed piglets with their breasts. However, other animals also feed on their breast milk.
Almost all the hard work in the tribe is done by women
In Papuan tribes, women do all the main work. Very often you can see a picture where Papuans, being in the last months of pregnancy, chop firewood, and their husbands rest in huts.
Some Papuans live in tree houses
Another Papuan tribe, the Korowai, surprises with their place of residence. They build their houses right on the trees. Sometimes, to get to such a dwelling, you need to climb to a height of 15 to 50 meters. The Korowai's favorite delicacy is insect larvae.
Papua New Guinea, especially its center - one of the protected corners of the Earth, where human civilization has hardly penetrated. People there live in complete dependence on nature, worship their deities and honor the spirits of their ancestors.
The coast of the island of New Guinea is now inhabited by completely civilized people who speak the official language, English. Missionaries worked with them for many years.
However, in the center of the country there is something like a reservation - nomadic tribes and who still live in the Stone Age. They know every tree by name, bury the dead on its branches, and have no idea what money or passports are.
They are surrounded by a mountainous country overgrown with impenetrable jungle, where high humidity and unimaginable heat make life unbearable for a European.
No one there speaks a word of English, and each tribe speaks its own language, of which there are about 900 in New Guinea. The tribes live very isolated from each other, communication between them is almost impossible, so their dialects have little in common, and people are different they simply don’t understand their friend.
A typical settlement where the Papuan tribe lives: modest huts are covered with huge leaves, in the center there is something like a clearing where the whole tribe gathers, and there is jungle around for many kilometers. The only weapons these people have are stone axes, spears, bows and arrows. But it is not with their help that they hope to protect themselves from evil spirits. That's why they have faith in gods and spirits.
The Papuan tribe usually keeps the mummy of the “chief”. This is some outstanding ancestor - the bravest, strongest and smartest, who fell in battle with the enemy. After death, his body was treated with a special composition to avoid decay. The leader's body is kept by the sorcerer.
It is in every tribe. This character is highly revered among his relatives. Its function is mainly to communicate with the spirits of the ancestors, appease them and ask for advice. People who are weak and unsuitable for the constant battle for survival usually become sorcerers—in a word, old people. They earn their living by witchcraft.
WHITE COMING FROM THIS WORLD?
The first white man to arrive on this exotic continent was the Russian traveler Miklouho-Maclay. Having landed on the shores of New Guinea in September 1871, he, being an absolutely peaceful man, decided not to take weapons ashore, taking only gifts and a notebook, which he never parted with.
Local residents greeted the stranger quite aggressively: they shot arrows in his direction, shouted intimidatingly, waved spears...
But Miklouho-Maclay did not react in any way to these attacks. On the contrary, he sat down on the grass with the most equanimity, pointedly took off his shoes and lay down to take a nap.
By an effort of will, the traveler forced himself to fall asleep (or just pretended to). And when he woke up, he saw that the Papuans were sitting peacefully next to him and looking at the overseas guest with all their eyes. The savages reasoned this way: since the pale-faced man is not afraid of death, it means he is immortal. That's what they decided on.
The traveler lived for several months among a tribe of savages. All this time, the aborigines worshiped him and revered him as a god. They knew that if desired, the mysterious guest could command the forces of nature. How is it?
It’s just that one day Miklouho-Maclay, who was called only Tamo-rus - “Russian man”, or Karaan-tamo - “man from the moon”, demonstrated the following trick to the Papuans: he poured water into a plate with alcohol and set it on fire. Gullible locals believed that the foreigner was able to set fire to the sea or stop the rain.
However, Papuans are generally gullible. For example, they are firmly convinced that the dead go to their own country and return from there white, bringing with them many useful items and food. This belief lives on in all Papuan tribes (despite the fact that they hardly communicate with each other), even in those where they have never seen a white man.
FUNERAL RITE
Papuans know three causes of death: from old age, from war and from witchcraft - if the death occurred for some unknown reason. If a person dies a natural death, he will be buried with honor. All funeral ceremonies are aimed at appeasing the spirits who accept the soul of the deceased.
Here is a typical example of such a ritual. Close relatives of the deceased go to the stream to perform bisi as a sign of mourning - smearing the head and other parts of the body with yellow clay. At this time, the men prepare a funeral pyre in the center of the village. Not far from the fire, a place is being prepared where the deceased will rest before cremation.
Shells and sacred Vusa stones are placed here - the abode of some mystical power. Touching these living stones is strictly punishable by the laws of the tribe. On top of the stones there should be a long wicker strip decorated with pebbles, which acts as a bridge between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
The deceased is placed on sacred stones, coated with pork fat and clay, and sprinkled with bird feathers. Then funeral songs begin to be sung over him, which tell about the outstanding merits of the deceased.
And finally, the body is burned at the stake so that the person’s spirit does not return from the afterlife.
TO THE FALLEN IN BATTLE - GLORY!
If a man is killed in battle, his body is roasted on a fire and eaten honorably with rituals appropriate to the occasion, so that his strength and courage will pass on to other men.
Three days after this, the phalanges of the fingers of the deceased’s wife are cut off as a sign of mourning. This custom is connected with another ancient Papuan legend.
One man mistreated his wife. She died and went to the next world. But her husband missed her and could not live alone. He went to another world for his wife, approached the main spirit and began to beg to return his beloved to the world of the living. The Spirit set a condition: his wife would return, but only if he promised to treat her with care and kindness. The man, of course, was delighted and promised everything at once.
His wife returned to him. But one day her husband forgot and forced her to work hard again. When he came to his senses and remembered this promise, it was already too late: his wife broke up before his eyes. All her husband had left was a phalanx of his finger. The tribe was angry and expelled him because he took away their immortality - the opportunity to return from the other world like his wife.
However, in reality, for some reason, the wife cuts off the phalanx of her finger as a sign of the last gift to her deceased husband. The father of the deceased performs the nasuk ritual - he cuts off 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, Papuans honor and appease the spirit of the ancestor. For, if his soul is not appeased, the ancestor will not leave the village, but will live there and cause harm. The spirit of the ancestor is fed for some time as if it were alive, and they even try to give it sexual pleasure. For example, a clay figurine of a tribal god is placed on a stone with a hole, symbolizing a woman.
The afterlife in the minds of the Papuans is a kind of paradise, where there is a lot of food, especially meat.
DEATH WITH A SMILE ON YOUR LIPS
In Papua New Guinea, people believe that the head is the seat of a person's spiritual and physical strength. Therefore, when fighting enemies, Papuans first of all strive to take possession of this part of the body.
For the Papuans, cannibalism is not at all a desire to eat tasty food, but rather a 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 died in battle.
The process of eating the brain is especially “productive” in this sense. By the way, it is with this ritual that doctors associate the disease kuru, which is very common among cannibals. Kuru is another name for mad cow disease, which can be contracted by eating uncooked brains of animals (or, in this case, humans).
This insidious disease was first recorded in 1950 in New Guinea, in a tribe where the brains of deceased relatives were considered a delicacy. The disease begins with pain in the joints and head, gradually progressing, leading to loss of coordination, trembling in the arms and legs and, oddly enough, bouts of uncontrollable laughter.
The disease develops over many years, sometimes the incubation period is 35 years. But the worst thing is that victims of the disease die with a frozen smile on their lips.
Sergei BORODIN
Papua New Guinea. Goroka Show. Papuasia is festive. October 8th, 2013
I thought for a long time about where to start a story about a trip to such a strange place. Honestly speaking, my impressions of the trip to Papua - New Guinea turned out to be completely ambiguous... And it’s hardly worth dumping everything at once :)))
So here it is. I decided to start with the Papuan front door. Festive. This post will contain a lot of pictures with a variety of elegant Papuans.
This is probably 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 introduce them, for more than 50 years, under the patronage of government organizations, ethnic festivals have been held in the country - a kind of inter-tribal congresses, at which numerous tribes of the country demonstrate their cultural traditions, dress in their best clothes (painting the body and face), show ancient rituals, dance, sing and express their identity in every possible way.
One of the main, oldest, most colorful is the Goroka show. Takes place in mid-September.
More than a hundred tribes take part in the festival.
Only from the end of the twentieth century did tourists begin to come to these festivals. 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, Papuans love to communicate with new people and hang out. And the festival is a good reason for this.
And although the festival itself began on Saturday, already the day before you could see people dressing up here and there in the town
On a festival day, the dressed-up people just make your eyes dazzle.
The festival is not a demonstration of traditional national costumes. This is a holiday of songs, dances, unity... Therefore, very modernized personalities meet
The whole action takes place according to a simple scenario:
the groups take turns walking through the corridor of spectators (local residents not taking part in the show), dancing and singing war songs. Then they find themselves in a fenced area - a huge field where only show participants and tourists are allowed (I probably counted as many as 20 people). Then this entire large motley crowd dances, sings, sits, communicates, and listens to the speeches of government representatives. And tourists walk and look until their eyes sparkle :)
Each group has two very responsible people. The first one carries a sign with the name of the group. The second is the shoes of the performance participants.
Residents of coastal regions are easily recognized by their rich shell decorations.
Most Papua New Guineans have a bad habit of chewing betelnuts. This nut has a weak narcotic effect. Therefore, the Papuans look a little bewildered. Nut chewers can be easily identified by their rotten teeth and red mouth.
But these people in moss suits simply tore apart 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 string bag (which fits a large backpack). The bag is worn on the head. They carry not only things there, but also children, for example.
Pay attention to this handsome guy, we will return to this village later
All participants in the show are very willing to pose. For - if a white man I decided to take a photo of you, so the costume was a success :)
Having talked about the nature of Papua New Guinea, one cannot ignore the people living there, especially the Papuans - their way of life, costumes, traditions and cannibalism...
Papuans are the most ancient population of the country.
In the 19th century, Russian biologist and traveler Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklouho-Maclay, studying life in Papua New Guinea, lived among them for several years.
Papuans have always lived (and most live now) in small villages (100 - 150 people). Each family in the settlement has its own home, but sometimes one is built in the village common Home, the length of which can reach a couple of hundred meters. These houses are wooden, and the roof is made of leaves or reeds.
Every village must have a tambaran - a common house. Only tribal leaders and respected men can enter it. All the villagers build it. The walls inside the tambaran are decorated with images of spirits and patrons whom the tribe’s inhabitants worship and whose help they ask for.
Each family has several plots of land, and on each of them the crop is at a different stage of ripening: if on one it is just being sown, on the second it is being weeded, and on the third it is already being harvested.
A stranger cannot set foot on village-owned land without permission. Also, a stranger cannot hunt or fish on someone else's land. If a person is caught for this, he will best case scenario, they will judge you, and in the worst case, they will use lynching, that is, they can kill and eat you.
Village residents resolve all issues at a general meeting. Moreover, this also applies to private matters, for example, weddings. Interesting point: girls and young people from one village cannot get married; they can only find a partner in another village. Neither the boy nor the girl can express their wishes - they find a match for general meeting, and their opinion is not taken into account. The most optimal age for marriage, according to Papuans, is 12 years. But, of course, such traditions are alive only in isolated settlements that have not been touched by civilization.
Women live separately from men and they cannot enter men's houses.
Aboriginal people give birth often, so families here have many children. Moreover, boys grow up with their father, and girls grow up with their mother.
For many centuries, different tribes did not know about each other’s existence, although they lived nearby. Everything is explained by the mountainous terrain and inaccessibility. And such isolation of one nationality from another led to the emergence of each tribe with its own unique culture, unlike the others.
So, each nation has its own body coloring and its own totem. It must be said that Papuans paint their bodies not only on the days of some major events or during “combat operations,” but also on Everyday life, since the paint protects them from numerous and very annoying insects.
Interesting are the wigs and masks (each tribe has their own) worn by the Papuans on special occasions. Wigs are made from human hair (children's and women's), bird feathers, animal skins and flowers.
Masks are selected according to certain type clothes and for coloring. In short, everything should be tasteful and appropriate to the occasion.
The mask in this photo is used by the aborigines of one of the tribes in the ceremony of seeing off the deceased to the afterlife and is called the “Tatanua mask”. It is made from linden and then decorated with reeds, animal fur and leather. Natural dyes are also used in cooking. On one side of the mask the “hair” is shaved, as this is what the men of this tribe do as a sign of grief.
The process of making such a mask is very long, so the ceremony can take place months after the person’s death.
Koteka - "clothing" for the penis Separately, it is necessary to say about the Papuan men's suit. If it can be called a costume, since the robe consists of a belt made of wood fiber and a sheath for the penis (koteka), made of the dried fruit of a local plant. Moreover, each tribe has its own “style” of koteki - they differ from each other in size, as well as in the angle of inclination. Papuan men also decorate themselves with bracelets on their arms and legs, as well as various objects inserted into their noses and lips.
Now, of course, many tribes wear clothes made of cloth, and National costumes worn either on holidays or for tourists.
At the foot of Mount Wilhelm, the Sing Sing festival is held annually - the most famous and widespread dance festival in Papua New Guinea. Representatives of ninety tribes from all over the country come to it, as a rule, their total number reaches forty thousand. Dressed in their national costumes and painted, they dance to the sound of drums. Many tourists from different countries come to the festival to see this action.
In Papua New Guinea, there are cases of murder of women accused of witchcraft. Moreover, investigations, as a rule, are conducted very biasedly.
The witchcraft law passed in 1971 makes the situation worse. It states that persons who consider themselves victims of witchcraft are not responsible for their actions. This is often used by judges who sentence an alleged witch to death penalty. They executed an innocent woman - and blamed it all on bewitchment.
As a rule, single, unknown women are accused of witchcraft. Thus, in 2013, a young girl was publicly burned alive after being accused without evidence of murdering a child. The UN condemned what happened, but you can’t bring the girl back...
A century ago, the Papuans were cannibals. Different tribes were at enmity with each other, and if someone was killed during a raid on an enemy village, they were eaten, and the skulls were taken to special caves, which served as a kind of record of military exploits. Now there are practically no cannibals, and these caves are visited with pleasure by foreign tourists.
And yet cannibalism in these places rarely occurs even now. In 2012 in Papua New Guinea There was an organization that hunted sorcerers, killed and ate them. Moreover, to distinguish a sorcerer from common man they were supposedly helped by the divine powers.
That same year, elections were held in the country, which were almost disrupted because cannibals ate seven people who were suspected of involvement in witchcraft, and simple people they were afraid to go vote. The cannibalistic criminals were caught, and among them was a 13-year-old teenager.
