Papua New Guinea. Goroka Show
As a child, my favorite yard game was a tree house. We got together with friends and first of all we shared bushes and trees. Who would get what depended on the gift of persuasion and competent argumentation. To put it simply, whoever is lucky will have a thicker bush. The happiness was that your house is more inconspicuous and you can, sitting comfortably there, watch your other tribal neighbors.
At that time, I did not know that on a distant island in the ocean there lived an entire community whose inhabitants built huts in the trees. In addition, they are also cannibals. Papuan tribe of romantics.
website - Let's dream together, invites you to go on a visit to the Papuan tribe of New Guinea.
Where do the Kolufo Papuans live?
It is in the southeast of West Papua - part of the island belongs to Indonesia, and the other is the state of Papua New Guinea. Indonesia annexed these territories in 1969. Don't get confused if you have to tell your friends about it.
Until now, most of the tribe lives in the trees in the jungle. Although many more advanced residents ventured to move to the nearest villages along the Bekking River: Yaniruma and Mbasman.
Tribes of romantic cannibals - Korowai
The amazing thing is that until 1970, the cannibalistic tribe did not even suspect that there were other people living on Earth besides them. Until “homo sapiens” from the mainland themselves made contact with the cows.
The tribe of hunter-gatherers and gardeners, part-time, currently almost does not engage in cannibalism (occasionally it is not considered). They are better at fishing and hunting animals rather than tourists.
There is no accurate information that the tribe does not practice cannibalism. Many believe that cannibalism is still an active practice.
Tribal woman preparing sago (photo: Eric Baccega/NPL/Media Drum World)
If, suddenly, you are suspected of witchcraft or evil thoughts, then you may well end up for dinner. As a dish.
Now there are no more than 3,800 Aboriginal people.
Since the early 1990s, some of them began to receive income from travel companies selling tours to Papuan villages. The Korowai organize sago-hornbeam festivals and religious ceremonies, introducing the traditions and way of life of their fellow tribesmen. A completely harmless way of life, compared to what they lived before.
Sago Festival and Reincarnation
Ritual dances and, according to their worldview, stimulate prosperity and fertility in the tribe. Sacrifices are made to the spirits of ancestors, usually pigs.
The Korowai believe in an afterlife and reincarnation. All the dead, according to their belief, can be returned to earth at any time. They believe that in a newborn baby one can meet any member of their clan.
Korowai believe in an afterlife and reincarnation
Cannibal lifestyle
Polygamy is common in the New Guinea tribe. Preference is given to blood relatives. Exogamous marriages are encouraged. Relationships are calculated through the maternal line. It is common to marry the mother's brother's daughter.
Many of the photographs were taken by photographer Eric Baccega when he visited the tribe during an expedition in 2000.
Tribes living in trees
Various reasons forced the Korowai to raise their homes higher from the ground, including frequent raids by other tribes. The last major attack from the Citak Aboriginals was in 1966.
A house on a tree
Usually a strong tree up to 10 meters is selected and a house is built. Those residents who are more prosperous can afford mansions with 2 or even 3 trees. There are castles at heights of up to 35 meters.
Anise wood is used for construction. The upper part of the crown is removed, and the floor is made from branches. A frame of stronger branches is raised and then covered with sago leaves. The walls and roof are made from the same leaves that make up the frame. Then they fix everything together using rattan fasteners.
One hut usually houses up to 10-12 people, and even a herd of animals. Therefore, the floor is reinforced very firmly so that it does not fall down at night.
The staircase in the home is a tree trunk with cutouts for steps.
Knock-knock, who lives in the house? (photo: Eric Baccega/NPL/Media Drum World)
Why do Papuans of New Guinea live in trees?
There are actually many reasons why Papuans prefer to live in trees:
- Extremely humid climate. The swampy and dirty jungle is not the best place on earth for a home. These regions experience up to 7 rainy seasons annually. And there are still showers here. Therefore it is wet all year round.
- Where it's wet there are mosquitoes. . Not the kind we are used to seeing, but tropical ones. Of gigantic proportions and carrying darkness-borne infections. And Papuans care about their health. Their life is already short (up to 40-45 years).
- Korowai are very superstitious people. They believe that evil spirits roam the forest. Therefore, they believe that buildings at height will help them isolate themselves from negative energy.
- Aborigines love private and secluded living. At altitude, not everyone will be able to just look at the light. As soon as someone decides to climb the ladder-trunk, the entire dwelling shakes along with the trunk, which serves as the foundation of the house. The neighbors won't be annoying in vain. Maybe we should take note of this?
- The most important reason for such privacy is, of course, safety. Cannibal neighbors and simple headhunters have long annoyed the tribes of cannibals - the Korowai - with raids.
In a newly built house, the Korowai smear the threshold and stairs with animal fat to bless the home (how they then climb up there is unclear).
Large families live in one hut at an altitude of 10-20 meters. And even their pets. Large houses have separate living quarters for the men and women of the same family. Fire pits and ladders are provided separately.
Fires and fire started in a hut are the most common cause of destruction. But still, every 5-7 years the natives build a new house. Due to weather conditions, such buildings are not durable.
Why are Korowai cannibals?
The tribe strongly believes in demons and witches. They are called Khakhua. Due to the large number of diseases and infections, the average life expectancy of Papuans is no more than 40 years.
Dying residents whisper the name of their spiritual killer to their relatives. And loved ones must kill the khakhua, even if one of them is a family member or friend.
For those who are especially curious, here are some shocking facts about cannibalism in wild tribes.
The drying head is hung over the fire, where food is being prepared nearby.
About cannibalism in the tribe
There are different methods for cutting and storing heads. Some keep only the jaws of the victim as a keepsake. They tie them to their belts and walk around with them to intimidate enemies.
Others preserve exclusively boiled or white-dried skulls.
The head is hung over the fire, where food is being prepared nearby. Each member of the tribe can come up to support the fire and have a snack at the same time. They tear off a piece of skin and feast on it. They believe that in this way they will add courage and fearlessness to themselves.
All parts of the body are not eaten indiscriminately. Muscles and entrails are eaten last. And the brain and tongue are considered a delicacy.
Hunting enemies involves setting fire to huts and luring victims into the jungle. After which they are captured and eaten.
Adultery is punished especially harshly. Relatives of criminals are required to attend the execution of the sentence. Everyone chooses body fragments for themselves and eats them raw.
Usually women are forbidden to attend such executions, but they find tricks and end up at this “secret holiday”. Curious though.
The harsh laws of the jungle are indicative. And we, people of civilization, who destroy each other in different ways and with particular sophistication, have a lot to learn from the tribes of cannibals.
This is also interesting:
Top 10 Rite of Initiation - entry into adulthood, beyond our understanding 
5 ancient technologies of China that modern inventors will envy
Photo report from the amazing expedition of English photographer Jimmy Nelson to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. I advise you to look further at how the tribes live in this territory before they finally disappear 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 tribal conflicts of varying sizes for thousands of years.
The struggle between tribes is over land, pigs and women. Incredible efforts are made to impress the enemy. The men of the Huli, the largest of the local tribes, paint their faces yellow, red and white, and have a famous tradition of making wigs from their own hair. The claw ax completes the chilling effect.
Asaro
Papua New Guinea
Throughout the highland plateau live small agricultural clans, differing in customs and traditions, speaking different languages. The famous "dirty" Asaro first met with representatives of the Western world only in the middle of the 20th century.
According to 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 terrorize 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 populations are among the most diverse in the world. The first visitors were greatly impressed by the carefully planned gardens and irrigation ditches in the valleys. The women of these tribes are very good farmers. The men hunt and fight with other tribes.
Goroka
Papua New Guinea
Life is simple in the high mountain villages. There is plenty of good food, strong families and a reverent attitude towards natural phenomena. People live by hunting, gathering plants and growing crops... and of course, inter-tribal warfare.
Dani
Indonesia
Baliem Valley is located at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level, on the Jayawijaya 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 an efficient irrigation system. Archaeological research proves that people cultivated this valley 9 thousand years ago.
The Dani often had to fight for their territory, defending it from attacks by other tribes. They are called the most feared bounty hunters in these parts. This is surprising considering the fact that they did not eat their enemies, unlike most other tribes in Papua.
Yali
Indonesia
One of the tribes inhabiting the Baliem Valley region are the "Lords of the Earth" Yali. They live in virgin forests of mountainous areas. Yali are officially recognized as pygmies - men here grow no more than 150 cm.
The Papuan tribes, although different in appearance and speaking different languages, have a similar way of life. They are all polygamists and have similar rituals for important occasions. Koteka, a type of penis sheath made from the fruit of the dried calabash gourd, is part of traditional clothing and a sign of tribal identity.
Korowai
Indonesia
To the south of the Jayawijaya mountain range there is a large area of lowland. There are many rivers, swamps, swamps and mangrove forests. This is the habitat of the Korowai tribe, whose people, until the early 1970s, believed that they were the only people on Earth.
The Korowai are one of the few Papuan tribes that do not wear Kotek. Instead, the men wrap their belongings in large leaves of local plants, and tie them tightly. They are hunter-gatherers who live in tree houses. Men's and women's rights and responsibilities are strictly separated.
When we talk about something outdated, we say: stone age. We try to imagine how our ancestors lived, and museums help us in this, where we can see all the attributes of “that century” - stone axes, flint scrapers and arrowheads. Many books, paintings and films are devoted to this. But not everyone knows that we have a unique opportunity to observe people of “that time” in the present.
The spaces of the Earth today are developed, inhabited, filled with people, in some places to the point of extreme crowding. And yet there are “nooks and crannies” on Earth where, without a never-invented “time machine,” you are surprised to discover life as it was in the Stone Age, when people did not yet know either iron or bronze, when the ageless yellow metal was 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, where the state of Papua New Guinea is located.
Tribes that have preserved the original way of life of their ancestors, who cannot write or read, who do not know what electricity and a car are, and who obtain their food by fishing and hunting. They believe that the gods are sending them rain and are trying to protect themselves from contact with our modern world. It is Papua New Guinea that accommodates several dozen unique tribes on its territory.
Many missionary scientists tried to penetrate into the lives of representatives of various tribes, but few returned from there alive... practically no one!.. And the reason for the “one-way trip” is banal - the “stranger” was eaten. In scientific terms, the brave souls were destroyed by the cannibalism of the Papuan tribes. They did not accept strangers - violation of their space led to death.
Now everything has changed. Residents of many tribes happily receive guests and observe 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 who have not crossed the Stone Age. They fight among themselves and do not understand the language of the tribes from the neighboring valley. And for us their lives are 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. 
Dani tribe has long been unknown, and the high mountains in West Papua have long been considered uninhabited.
The places here are beautiful and the people are nice, the only problem is that strangers could not establish contact with them. Everyone disappeared without a trace - both travelers and missionaries.
In 1954, the first Christian missionary parachuted here. This is how the local population learned that they were not alone on this land.
It’s almost impossible to believe, but the stone ax remains the main tool of labor here, and the arrow and bow are the main weapons. But hunting feeds them less and less, because... the number of animals decreases - civilization advances.
Dani is a heavy smoker. Everyone smokes here - from children to old people. The first meeting with Dani may seem aggressive - it is a ritual in the form of fighting, with which they greet the natives. So it’s better to be mentally prepared for meeting them.
Papua is an amazing island. One hundredth of one percent of all humanity lives here, speaking 15% of all languages existing 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 downwind when they walked with members of this tribe - it turned out that the Dani did not really like the smell of the white man. The sensations were mutual - the smell that comes from the tribute is also unusual for a white man.
The Dani have a terrible tradition - they take the loss of loved ones very hard, and when this happens, the man cuts off a piece of his ear with a bamboo knife, and the women cut off the phalanges of their fingers.
It will probably take a long time before the Internet, social networks and other nonsense of civilization reach the tribes of Papua New Guinea. Then, perhaps, they will start talking about loneliness and selfishness, vanity and cynicism. In the meantime, the Dani have 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. A person's wealth 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 you will be a welcome guest!
The Dani are excellent farmers - their harvest is an abundance of vegetables and fruits. Women wear grass skirts, and men wear a kateku, an item that is worn at the casual place and is the only element of a man's clothing. To the question: “Can a man walk without a catheque?” one traveler received the answer: “No, of course, without harim you are naked! We’ll have to cover ourselves with our hands so that women don’t see!” Of course, people who live closer to Wamena and go there often already wear clothes. But, despite some eroticism in the costume of local men, the morals of the tributes are strict. The promiscuity common to people in other parts of the world has no place there!
Dani live quite a long time and rarely get sick - both life in the fresh air and physical labor take their toll. It is clear that this promotes longevity. And this is despite the terrible unsanitary conditions, which they will so generously share with you, treating you to their outlandish dishes. But they live and don’t even complain! In general, one can only envy their immunity.
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 tributes will change. And they will become like us...
The next representatives of the “Stone Age” are fallow deer tribe. Arriving on their land, do not be surprised if you see a considerable number of abandoned huts. The fact is that the Lani people, wherever they stop, even for a few hours, build huts from branches, bamboo, leaves and ferns to protect them from the rain.
Not so long ago, the fallow deer tribe had a reputation for being cannibals. The connection between the fallow deer and the civilized world has still not been 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 who know how 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. They don’t wear clothes here even in cold weather; 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, on their heads they wear a long net that goes down on their backs like a bag in which personal belongings are kept, including babies or piglets. Their fingers are often horribly mutilated, the result of ritual amputation as a sign of mourning for their loved ones. So, finger by finger, the doe tribe sacrifices part of itself in memory of loved ones...
According to the authorities, there are no longer cases of cannibalism among the tribes of Papua, but some claim that in the depths of the island, in the most remote and difficult places, bloody battles still break out between tribes, which are a continuation of long-term enmity. In case of victory, they simply perform the traditional ritual of eating the body of the enemy.
But, despite all the “stoniness” of the doe’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, with their interference in their lives, are gradually destroying their original culture, and the Indonesian government is unceremoniously seizing territory that has belonged to the Yali since ancient times. Now the Yali tribe numbers about 20 thousand people.
The very first acquaintance of the Yali with white people occurred more than 50 years ago, but this meeting changed practically nothing in the life of the Papuans. If you don’t count such little things as changes, such 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 walk naked. Women wear only some kind of miniskirt, while men wear a kateka - a kind of cover made of dried pumpkin - over their manhood.
Yali are very hardworking, their main occupation is agriculture, they grow sweet potatoes, bananas, corn, and tobacco. They eat only what they have grown themselves and what nature gives them. The only factory-made food product that is extremely popular among the Yali is dry vermicelli “Mivina”! This can be seen by driving through the Jungle, where wrappers from this fast food are scattered here and there.
The Yali are one of the few tribes that are known for cannibalism. The natives have various tricks and weapons for attacking people, which is worth one black bow made from palm wood and for which there is a whole arsenal of arrows for different prey. And among these arrows against birds and other living creatures there are arrows against people. According to Yali, buttocks are considered the most delicious delicacy. They see nothing reprehensible in cannibalism. But according to many travelers and island authorities, yalis no longer eat people with white skin. Since white color for them is mourning. It seems to them that white people are the servants of death.
They live according to the principle “girls go left, boys go right,” i.e. women with children live separately from men. But when the boys reach 4 years of age, they move to the “men's house”.
What can disrupt such an orderly way of life? The answer is simple - war. The most amazing thing is that the cause can be a complete little thing, but if it’s not a little thing, then it’s definitely not a reason to start a war. The pig, or rather its disappearance, is the “global” cause of strife. And if something like this happens, the yawls 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 pig you can buy yourself a wife. This is the exchange.
But yali can treat themselves to fried wild boar extremely rarely, only on holidays. For example, a wedding or an initiation ceremony, that is, the formation of a boy or a man - here you can smoke a pig. And on weekdays you have to walk around a delicious pig and “delight” yourself with a semi-edible root or New Guinea 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 stations, landing pads for helicopters, bridges on rivers... But at the same time, the territory where the Yali tribe lives has been declared a national park, and, therefore, hunting is prohibited there, which deprives the tribe food. There were attempts to resettle the yali closer to civilization, because... Earthquakes are frequent here, but in the valley the Yali people begin to suffer from malaria.
At a time when cannibalism in New Guinea had not yet slowed down, local authorities, in order to ensure the safety of tourists, obliged all visitors to obtain permission from the police and provide them with their data - the approximate route of the expedition. Probably, so that they at least know in which pot to look for them later...
By the will of fate Asmat tribe settled in the wettest and swampiest areas 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 Asmatian people is estimated at about 70,000. The Asmatians are professionals in the field of wood carving, their products are highly valued among collectors.
The Asmat culture and way of life are highly dependent on natural resources obtained from forests, rivers and seas. The Asmat live on starch extracted from sago palms, fish, forest game and other species of animals and plants that can be found on the island. Due to frequent floods, Asmats place their homes on wooden beams - two or more meters above ground level. In some regions, Papuans' homes are located 25 meters from the ground.
The Asmats, like other tribes of Papua, at one time “sinned” with cannibalism.
They still have many interesting ways to use parts of the human body - using the skull as a “pillow” under the head or a children’s toy, the human tibia was used as a dart.
And now they will help the 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 will initially overwhelm you with an incredible mixture of incoherent mumbling, cooing and cackling.
Korowai - tree-dwelling tribe
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 trees and speak only one language they understand. According to this year's census, there were about 3,000 Aboriginal people in this tribe. They skillfully climb ladders to their wooden houses, located at an altitude of 50 meters or more 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. It’s incredible: there, at a height, dogs, pigs and other living creatures also live together with members of one or two families. You can climb to this house only by a very thin wooden ladder - along a bamboo stalk with steps cut out.
Until the late 1970s, when anthropologists began studying the tribe, the Korowai were unaware of the existence of people other than their 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 the appropriate stage of larval development, the trees are “opened” with a stone ax or a sharp spear. Beetles are eaten both raw and fried. They taste quite good. In the protein-scarce world of the Korowai people, these beetles are one of several important sources of fat.
They greet guests attentively, but warily. They can treat you to their delicacy - a dish made from sago starch. They also eat bananas and pineapples. Pork is a luxury for them; they eat it probably once a year. But communicating with representatives of this tribe is not so easy - they didn’t like something, so they immediately ran up and closed.
One of the most mysterious peoples on earth - tribe kombai. Until recently, they practiced cannibalism. Many missionaries tried to understand what makes tribes eat their own kind?
In order to understand another culture, you need to become part of it. This is what many scientific travelers did. No roads, no concrete, no buildings, no telegraph poles - just kilometers 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. About one hundred representatives of the Kombai tribe live in Wangamala, built in the 70s. 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, and tobacco, the attitude towards them changed. People who live in villages have it much easier than those who live in the jungle. Seeing a man in clothes, they hide and shoot him. These people still eat each other to this day.
Don't be surprised if they ask you to take off your clothes when you meet them. Perhaps 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 their lives. If you approach one of the huts alone, you may be shot. There are no utensils here that we use. Imagine what it’s like to live without frying pans or 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 can easily move along the mountains and slopes without experiencing shortness of breath.
In this society, responsibilities are clearly divided into men's and women's. When men cut down a tree, women take out the core. Their life seems easy. When they want to eat, they go hunting, and the rest of the time they rest.
It's hard to imagine that these calm and good-natured people could be cannibals. Cannibalism is explained differently in different world cultures. Reasons range from simple hunger to paying homage to 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 lives in the stomach and brain. That is why these body parts 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. They still follow this morality.
The jungle is covered with a carpet of thorns, but the Kombai don't care. They do not wear shoes - this makes their feet hard and insensitive.
Traveling through Papua can be a good school of life. Having been close to danger and difficult living conditions, you evaluate your life in a new way and find extremely important what you previously treated with unforgivable carelessness.
The Yali are the wildest and most dangerous tribe of cannibals in the 21st century, numbering more than 20,000 people. In their opinion, cannibalism is a common thing and there is nothing special about it; eating an enemy for them is valor, and not the most cruel way of reprisal. Their leader says that it is the same as a fish eats a fish, the one who is stronger wins. For the yali, this is to some extent a ritual, during which the power of the enemy he eats is transferred to the winner.
The government of New Guinea is trying to combat the inhumane addictions of its wild citizens. And their adoption of Christianity influenced their psychological perception - the number of cannibal feasts decreased significantly.
The most experienced warriors remember recipes for cooking dishes from their enemies. With imperturbable calm, one might even say with pleasure, they tell that the enemy’s buttocks are the most delicious part of a person, for them it is a true delicacy!
Even today, Yali residents believe that pieces of human flesh enrich them spiritually; eating the victim while pronouncing the name of the enemy gives them special power. Therefore, when visiting the most terrible place on the planet, it is better not to tell the savages your name, so as not to provoke them into the ritual of eating you.
Recently, the Yali tribe believes in the existence of the savior of all mankind - Christ, so they do not eat people with white skin. The reason for this is that the color white is associated with the color of death. However, recently an incident occurred - a Japanese correspondent disappeared in Irian Jaya as a result of strange events. They probably don’t consider people with yellow and black skin to be the servants of the old woman with the scythe.
Since colonization, the life of the tribe has remained virtually unchanged, as has the attire of these coal-black citizens of New Guinea. Yali women are almost completely naked, their daytime clothing consists only of a skirt with plant fibers. Men, in turn, walk naked, covering their genital organs with a cover (halim), which is made from dried bottle gourd. According to them, the process of making clothes for men requires a lot of skill.
As the pumpkin grows, a weight in the form of a stone is tied to it, which is reinforced with threads of vines to give it an interesting shape. At the final stage of preparation, the pumpkin is decorated with feathers and shells. It is worth noting that the Halim also serves as a “wallet” in which men store roots and tobacco. The tribesmen also love jewelry made from shells and beads. But their perception of beauty is unique. For example, they knock out the front two teeth of local beauties in order to make them even more attractive.
The noble, favorite and only occupation of men is hunting. And yet in the villages of the tribe you can find livestock - chickens, pigs and possums, which are looked after by women. It also happens that several clans hold large-scale meals at once, where everyone has their own place and the social status of each savage is taken into account in terms of food distribution. They do not drink alcoholic drinks, but they do consume 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 joint meals, clans exchange gifts. Although Yali cannot be called very hospitable people, they will accept gifts from guests with great pleasure. They especially appreciate bright shirts and shorts. The peculiarity is that they put the shorts on the head, and use the shirt as a skirt. This is because they do not contain soap, the result of which is that unwashed clothes can cause skin diseases over time.
Even taking into account the fact that the Yali have officially stopped fighting with neighboring tribes and eating victims, only the most “frostbitten” adventurers can go to these inhuman parts of the world. According to stories from this area, savages still sometimes allow themselves to carry out barbaric acts of eating the flesh of their enemies. But in order to justify their actions, they come up with various stories about how the victim either drowned or fell to his death from a cliff.
The government of New Guinea has developed a powerful program for bodybuilding and improving the standard of living of the inhabitants of the island, including this tribe. According to the plan, the hill tribes would move to the valley, while officials promised to give the settlers an adequate supply of rice and building materials, as well as a free television in every home.
The citizens of the valley were forced to wear Western clothes in government buildings and schools. The government even took such measures as declaring the territory of the savages a national park where hunting is prohibited. Naturally, the Yali began to oppose the resettlement, since out of the first 300 people, 18 died, and this in the first month (from malaria).
An even greater disappointment for the surviving settlers was what they saw: they were given barren land and rotten houses. As a result, the government’s strategy collapsed and the settlers returned back 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
Embark on an extreme, expensive and dangerous journey.
If you wish, you will be greeted by a theater in which you will become a real target for cannibals. The live game will turn into reality for a while
New Guinea is one of the wildest, most isolated and untouched places on the planet, where hundreds of tribes speak hundreds of languages, do not use mobile phones or electricity, and continue to live according to the laws of the Stone Age.
And all because there are still no roads in the Indonesian province of Papua. The role of buses and minibuses is performed by airplanes.
A long and dangerous path to the tribe of cannibals. Flight.
Wamena Airport looks like this: the check-in area is represented by a fencing made of chain-link mesh covered with slate.
Instead of signs, there are inscriptions on fences; data about passengers is entered not into a computer, but into a notebook.
The floor is earthen, so forget about duty free. The airport where naked Papuans walk is the only one in the legendary Baliem Valley.
The town of Wamena can be called the center of Papuan tourism. If a wealthy foreigner wants to go almost to the Stone Age, this is where he flies.
Despite the fact that before boarding, passengers go through “control” and a metal detector, you can easily bring a gas spray, pistol, knife or other weapon on board the plane, which, by the way, can be bought right at the airport.
But the worst thing about Papuan flights is not the security control, but the old rattling planes, rotorcraft, which are hastily maintained almost with the help of the same stone axes.
Dilapidated airplanes are more reminiscent of old UAZs and Ikaruses.
In the small windows, you are accompanied all the way by cockroaches dried under the glass, the interior of the aircraft is worn out to the limit, not to mention what happens to the mechanics themselves.
Every year a huge number of these planes crash, which is not at all surprising given their technical condition. Scary!
During the flight, you will be lucky enough to see endless mountain ranges covered with dense tropical forest, separated only by rivers with muddy water, the color of orange clay.
Hundreds of thousands of hectares of wild forests and impenetrable jungle. It’s hard to believe, but from this porthole you can see that there are still places on earth that man has not managed to ruin and turn into an accumulation of computer and construction technologies. The plane lands in the small town of Dekai, lost in the jungle, in the middle of the island of New Guinea.
This is the last point of civilization on the way to Karavay. Then there are only boats, and from now on you no longer live in hotels or wash in the shower.
Now we leave electricity, mobile communications, comfort and balance behind, incredible adventures await us in the lair of the descendants of cannibals.
Part two – Canoe trip
In a rented truck, along a broken dirt road, you get to the Braza River - the only transport artery in these places.
It is from this place that the most expensive, dangerous, unpredictable and amazing part of the trip to Indonesia starts.
Dangerous canoes can simply capsize if moved carelessly - your things will drown, and bloodthirsty alligators will appear around you.
From the fishing village where the road ends, sailing to the wild tribes takes longer than flying from Russia to America or Australia, about two days.
The most important thing is to sit low on the wooden floor of such a boat. If you move slightly to the side and disturb the center of gravity, the boat will capsize and then you will have to fight for your life. There is a continuous jungle around, where no human foot has gone before.
Cannibal seekers have long been attracted to such places, but not everyone returns from expeditions in good health.
The tempting mystery of these places attracted Michael Rockefeller, America's richest heir of his time, great-grandson of the planet's first dollar billionaire, John Rockefeller. He explored local tribes, collected artifacts, and it was here that he went missing.
Ironically, a collector of human skulls now graces someone else's collection.
Fuel for boats here is extremely expensive, because it takes a long time - the price for 1 liter reaches 5 dollars, and a trip by canoe amounts to thousands of dollars.
The scorching sun and sultry heat reach their climax and wear tourists down.
Towards evening, you need to leave the canoe and spend the night on the shore.
Lying on the ground is deadly here - snakes, scorpions, scalapendras, here a person has many enemies. You can spend the night in the fishermen's hut, where they take shelter from the rain.
The structure was built on stilts one and a half meters from the ground. It is necessary to light a fire in order to prevent the penetration of various creeping creatures and insects, as well as to treat the body against malaria mosquitoes. Deadly scalapendras fall directly on your head and you need to be extremely careful.
If you have developed the habit of brushing your teeth, save boiled water with you and do not go close to the river. Provide a full-fledged first aid kit for these places, which can save your life at the right time.
First acquaintance with Karavay
The second day in a canoe will be somewhat more difficult - the movement will continue against the flow of the Siren River.
Gasoline is running out at a colossal rate. You lose track of time - the same landscape does not change. After passing through the rapids, where you may have to push the boat against the current, the first settlement of the so-called modern loaves appears.
Friendly natives in rapper attire will warmly greet you and lead you to their huts, trying to show their best side and earn “points” in the hope of getting work from rich tourists, who can be found here quite rarely.
At the end of the 90s, the Indonesian government decided that cannibals had no place in the country, and decided to “civilize” the savages and teach them to eat rice, and not their own kind. Even in the most remote areas, villages were built, which can be reached from more civilized places by several days by boat.
There is no electricity or mobile communications here, but there are houses on stilts. In the village of Mabul there is only one street and 40 identical houses.
About 300 people live here, these are mostly young people who have already left the forest, but the parents of most of them still live in the jungle, a few days' walk away, on the treetops.
The wooden houses that are built have no furniture at all, and the Papuans sleep on the floor, which is more like a sieve. Men are allowed to have several wives, or rather an unlimited number.
The main condition is that the head of the family be able to feed each of them and the children.
Intimacy occurs with all wives in turn, and one of them cannot be left without male attention, otherwise she will be offended. 75 A five-year-old leader with 5 wives pleases each of them every night, without taking any stimulants, but only “sweet potatoes.”
Since there is nothing to do here, there are many children in families.
The whole tribe is going to see the white tourists - after all, you can see “white savages” here no more than a few times a year.
Men come in the hope of getting a job, women out of curiosity, and children fight in hysterics and great fear, equating white people with alien dangerous creatures. The high cost of $10,000 and mortal danger leave no chance for a wide range of the population to visit such places.
Kateka - a cover for manhood is not used here (as in most New Guinean tribes). This accessory arouses genuine interest among men, while their relatives calmly fly on planes in the nude with only a catheque.
Those loaves who were lucky enough to work in the city and buy a mobile phone are considered the coolest.
Despite the lack of electricity, mobile phones (which are used only as a player) with music are charged as follows. Everyone chips in money and fills up the only generator in the village with gasoline, simultaneously connecting chargers to it, and thus returning them to working condition.
Those who come from the forest try not to take risks and not venture into the outback, claiming that there are real cannibals left there, but today they themselves eat traditional dishes - rice with fish or river shrimp. Here they don’t brush their teeth, wash once a month, and don’t even use mirrors; moreover, they are afraid of them.
The path to the cannibals
There is no place on earth more humid and suffocatingly hot than the Jungle of the island of New Guinea. During the rainy season, it rains here every day, and the air temperature is about 40 degrees.
A day's journey, and the first Karavai skyscrapers will appear in front of you - houses at an altitude of 25-30 meters.
Many modern loaves have moved from a 30-meter height to a 10-meter height, thus preserving the traditions of their ancestors and somewhat smoothing out the danger of staying at a rapid height. The first people you will see will be completely naked girls and women from the youngest to the oldest.
So, you need to get acquainted with the owners and agree on an overnight stay. The only way up is a slippery log with cut down steps. The ladder is designed for wiry Papuans, whose weight rarely exceeds 40-50 kg. After long conversations, introductions and promises of a pleasant reward for your stay and hospitality, the leader of the tribe will agree to accommodate you in his house. Don't forget to grab some delicious food and necessary things to thank your hosts.
The best gifts for adults and children are cigarettes and tobacco. Yes, yes, that’s right - everyone smokes here, including women and the younger generation. Tobacco, in this place, is more expensive than any currency or jewelry. It is not worth its weight in gold, but worth its weight in diamonds. If you want to win over the cannibal, ask for a visit, pay off or ask for something, treat him with tobacco.
You can bring a pack of colored pencils and sheets of paper for children - they have never known anything like this in their lives and will be incredibly happy about such an amazing acquisition. But the most incredible and shocking gift is a mirror, which they are afraid of and turn away from.
There are only a few hundred loaves left on the planet, living in the trees in the forest. They have no such thing as age. Time is divided exclusively into: morning, afternoon and evening. There is no winter, spring, summer or autumn here. Most of them have no idea that there is other life, countries and peoples outside the forest. They have their own laws and problems - the main thing is to tie the pig at night so that it does not fall to the ground and the neighbors do not eat it.
Instead of the cutlery we are used to, karavais use animal bones. For example, a spoon was made from cassowary bone. According to the residents of the settlement themselves, they no longer eat dogs and people, and have changed a lot over the last ten years.
There are two rooms in the loaf house - men and women live separately, and a woman has no right to cross the threshold of male territory. Intimacy and the conception of children occur in the forest. But it is not at all clear how: male dignity is so small that it causes hysterical laughter among tourists and incredible thoughts about how it is possible to make a child THIS way. Microscopic dimensions are easily hidden behind a small leaf, which is usually used to wrap your organ or even open it, there is still nothing to look at, and it is unlikely that you can see anything even with a strong desire.
Every morning, little piglets and a dog are taken out for a walk to be walked and fed.
Meanwhile, the women weave a skirt from grass. Breakfast is prepared in a small frying pan - flat cakes made from the heart of the sago tree. It tastes like dry, dry bread. If you bring buckwheat with you, cook it and treat it to the loaves - they will be incredibly happy and will eat everything, to the last grain - saying that this is the most delicious dish they have eaten in their lives.
Today, the word cannibal almost sounds like a curse - no one wants to admit that his ancestors, or worse, himself, ate human flesh. However, by chance they said that of all the parts of the human body, the ankles are the most delicious.
The arrival of missionaries changed a lot, and now the daily diet is worms and sago cakes. The loaves themselves do not exclude the possibility that if you go further, deeper into the forest, you can meet those tribes that today do not disdain human flesh.
How to get to the wild tribes?
Flights from Russia to Papua New Guinea are not direct. There is a high probability that you will have to fly through Sydney and then travel by domestic airlines. Go to the website and find out about the possibility of a direct flight to Papua. If you still need to fly through Australia - Sydney, then a flight from Moscow will cost approximately 44,784 RUB and you will spend more than a day on the road. If you are planning a flight with a child, be prepared to pay from 80,591 RUB. Further, the path lies through local airlines, which are impossible to provide for, especially in the province of Papua itself. Don't forget that you need an Australian transit visa to travel through Australia. For economy class tickets, the permissible weight of hand luggage is no more than 10 kg; for higher classes, the limit is increased by 5 kg with each level of increase, that is, the maximum weight of hand luggage is 30 kg.
