5 Fascinating Tribes of Papua New Guinea and Their Cultures

5 Fascinating Tribes of Papua New Guinea - and Their Intriguing Cultures

From the Baining dancers and the Huli Wigmen warriors, to the crocodile-skinned men of the Sepik river. Meet the local communities of Papua New Guinea...

Fifty thousand years of human evolution in Papua New Guinea have seen societies adapt to the island's primeval nature; exploring the offshore islands in the warm surrounding oceans by sailing with canoes, only to stumble into the modern world with a heritage that makes it the most exciting country on Earth to explore.

The result of this tropical fermentation is a loosely affiliated society of around 840 languages and more than a thousand tribal clans, which even now, as modernity slowly permeates Papua New Guinea, cling to their traditions of costume and culture.

Below are five of the most iconic cultural encounters that visitors will find easily accessible by chance, at festivals or organised through tour operators. To be sure, the singing and costumes have been adapted so that Papua New Guineans can benefit from tourism. But scratch beneath the photogenic surface and you'll find the strong authenticity of local traditions.

1: fire dancers

On the outskirts of Rabaul it is night. The massive shadow of the active Mount Tavurvur dominates the bay that serves this town of East New Britain, and then the dancers appear. A blazing bonfire shines bright; flames rise into the sky as the rhythmic beat of kundu drums and bamboo sticks brings the Baining fire dancers onto the scene. They wear eyeball masks that resemble birds' faces, like cassowaries, and what appear to be highly flammable, rough grass skirts around their necks.

The dance is usually performed on special occasions to celebrate a new child or the arrival of young men. It is usually forbidden for women and children to watch. Moving into a state of trance, the fire dancers light themselves around a fire that makes them feel its heat. It isn't long before they boldly dive towards it, barefoot, treading on glowing embers that shimmer in the night sky. It's a sight to see.

2Crocodile Cult

" They will undergo an atrociously painful scarification made with sharpened bamboo until their skin resembles a crocodile's. "

During several journeys along Papua New Guinea's largest river, the Sepik, you will be amazed by the most remarkable examples of body scarification imaginable. As a sign of respect for the crocodile spirit, young male initiates enter wooden and thatched houses called tambaran to learn how to become a man. It is during the process of acquiring knowledge such as how to care for their future family or hunting that they will undergo an atrociously painful scarification that was carried out with sharpened bamboo until their skin resembled a crocodile's skin.

These men are easy to meet for all travellers along the Sepik and they will proudly remove their shirts to show you their skin. The raised welts on their skin cover the back, the shoulders and run down their chest - often incorporating the nipples as eyes. The custom remains very much alive in the Sepik.

3The Mudmen of Asaro

In a small village in the Eastern Highlands, near Goroka, you may find the chance to witness a spectral spectacle. A dozen grey, pale, ghostly figures emerge. As they approach, the mudmen are naked save for a loincloth, their bodies smeared with grey clay, and they wear frightening, grotesque, muddy masks with exaggerated ears and eyebrows, with lolling tongues and pig bones piercing the nose.

Legend tells that the Asaro were driven from their village by a larger hostile tribe and hid in the mud of the riverbank. The attackers saw their grey bodies dusted with mud and, believing them to be ghosts, fled in terror. Since they frightened enemies and tourists alike, they have become one of the most popular and most performed cultures of Papua New Guinea.

4The Huli Wigmen

" They looked extraordinary and almost vain... even though in reality they are fierce warriors. "

When you see them for the first time you don't forget them: at Makara in the Southern Highlands, the famous Huli Wigmen bounce and sing a traditional song. They look extraordinary and almost like aesthetes, given the degree of attention to their appearance - even though in reality they are fierce warriors.

They have a thin bone driven through the nose, faces painted yellow, oiled bodies and grass skirts. The wigs are fashioned from their own hair: wide enough to serve as a small umbrella and rather like a midshipman's hat adorned with parrot and bird-of-paradise feathers.

Although they are a regular feature on the tourist scene, the process of creating the wigs remains authentic and true. Young unmarried Huli men attend a wig school for at least 18 months to learn to grow their hair and the art of fashioning it into their precious wigs.

5The tattooed women of Oro

There has been a modest revival in recent years of young women with very beautiful facial tattoos in Oro province.

The designs feature many intricate geometric representations of the surrounding nature, such as bird-of-paradise feathers. They are considered a rite of passage for girls (aged between 14 and 18) into womanhood. The secret process could take several months and, emerging from the tattooist's hut, the new initiate will be considered a woman. It is quite easy to see the women in the communities around Tufi, now a world-class diving spot, or at the Tufi Tapu Tattoo Festival in September.