When The Stone Age Happens In The Present

Smearing themselves in pig grease and soot, think about being surrounded by hundreds of Stone Age tribesmen as they brandish their weapons from axes to spears to arrows and howl their war chants in your direction. You would not like it one bit. What you are seeing is the annual Highlands Show of Papua New Guinea.

Where Papua New Guinea is located is in between and the equator, it owns the eastern part of the large island it shares with Indonesia and part of the country is comprised by small islands from the Bismarck Archipelago. Until independence and nationhood in 1975, Papua New Guinea was managed by under various United Nations trust arrangements as the separate territories of Papua and New Guinea. In terms of the western way of life, some parts of the country are still unaware. If you’re looking to learn about holidays papua new guinea, visit their site for more details.

There were white men traveling on foot who first explored these rugged Highlands in the 1930s. The white man is still a novelty, and at the Highlands Show the center of attention is often the camera toting tourist as much as the armed and painted warrior. The two day show is held alternately in the towns of Goroka and Mount Hagen and attracts over 60,000 people, most of them Papua New Guineans. For some, they walk all the way from Telefomin, Wapenamanda, and Ukarumpa simply to take part in the festivities and walking can take days or weeks.

There are demonstrations for fire making and house building skills as well as agricultural and crafts exhibits being staged. Aside from these, the show has light entertainment. It has every event from chasing after the greased pig to bicycle races to climbing up a greased pole with dangling cigarettes and beer and barefoot competitors participate complete with weaponry. Actually, the climax of the weekend is when tourists and locals are able to witness each of the tribes display their treasured ceremonial attire in the sing sing competition.

To the deep hollow beat of the kundu drum, people dance and chant even under the heat of the sun as the pace changes to simulate a battle or stage a legend from tribal history. When it comes to the Highlands sing, the kaleidoscope of color and costume is a treat. Here, the dancers embellish themselves. Either their faces are colored in red and blue ochre or their bodies are covered with the darkest soot trimmed with everything from leaves to feathers to beads and even store bought crepe paper. For their pierced septums, they no longer use the usual pig’s tusk or other bone but resort to ball point pens and even pieces of an automobile engine and for earrings they have safety pins. Learn about papua new guinea cruise.

Another thing that they do is unwrap and display the village heirlooms. Proudly worn by the children are their headpieces made from the fur of the spotted cuscus, a small marsupial. Much value is still given to the seashells people have as these were once a form of currency. There are the lucky ones who are able to see the tall swaying plumes of the peacock like Raggiana Bird of Paradise, the national symbol, or that of the cassowary.

Following this are the eerie Asaro mudmen coming into view. These people are coated in white mud and have grotesque heads made from sun baked clay and straw. Slapping leaves off their thighs, they dance their swaying dance. From a legend comes the story of how one tribe retreated into the Asaro River when their enemies pursued them.

Fleeing were their enemies when they emerged all covered in the white clay because the former thought they were ghouls. What the Asaro mudmen do is cover themselves in the same river mud to commemorate this victory. Those who gave the best presentations and were best in their costumes were awarded with prizes in cash and cattle as well after all the sing sings. The people begin trekking downhill as the day and festivities end.