There are over 800 tribes in Papua New Guinea, each with its own language, making this one of the most diverse countries in the world. Each tribe may only cover the area of one village giving each one it’s own unique tribal culture. Sing-sings are the traditional welcome to each village, telling a story of the tribes’ history and culture through dance and song.
The Huli wigmen are the face of PNG. Their picture adorns the few tourist brochures that advertise tours to this part of the world and they don’t disappoint. The tribe were only ‘discovered’ in the 1930s and western culture has been slow to encroach. So where does the name originate? Exactly as it sounds. The Huli men retreat to a wig school in adolescence to grow their wig. Growth is nurtured through group preening and water-blowing rituals. When the hair is long enough it is cut off and made into a wig which the man will wear for the rest of his life. Birds of paradise feathers adorn the wig in a spectacle of colour (what impact this is having on the birds of paradise population isn’t clear but there are moves to encourage use of more synthetic products.) It may seem strange to us to wear a wig made from your own hair but the Huli take great pride in their wigs. Sing-sings are the best way to show off the colour, movement and, let’s face it, years of hair-nurturing effort. But the Huli wear them not only on special occasions but sometimes just to walk into town. And why not? With their grass skirts, painted faces and cassowary bone daggers they look spectacular.
The Asaro mudmen are a very different kettle of fish. Instead of rhythmic shows of colour and chanting, stealth is the name of the game in this part of the highlands. Legend has it that the Asaro were losing a battle against their neighbours and retreated to a river. When they emerged the neighbours didn’t recognise them covered in mud. Instead they believed them to be spirits and retreated in terror. Today they reenact that victory kitted out in gruesome-looking clay masks, bows firing arrows at a jittery audience.
The Sepik river meanders slowly west to east along almost the full length of PNG. Small villages line the riverbank, huts made of dried grass and Spirit Houses housing the men high up on carved wooden stilts. This is where many of the 800+ tribes live, the melting pot of PNG culture. Many villages worship the crocodile but in Swagup it is the preying mantiss that holds the respect of the villagers. Sing-sings depict the animals, bodies decorated with crocodile designs, carved animal-shaped drums beating the rhythm of the dance. The area is known for its wood carving with ornate spirit house poles, crocodile headed canoes ….and one or two masks for my living room wall!
For a country that declares itself 96% Christian, this results in an intriguing juxtaposition of religion and tribal culture. Or perhaps this is one means of uniting a country split 800 ways by language and culture. For me, who dreamt of visiting PNG for its cultural diversity, the sensory highlight was interestingly not the rhythmic Huli sing-sing or the Asaro mudmen‘s arrow-firing snap but the heart-warming, roof-lifting sound of a devout village congregation singing their praises to God.