Shocking traditions and customs of the Papuans, which not everyone will understand. Indonesia - life and traditional activities of the Papuans - history, culture, traditions of the Papuans and their life

Evil, wild and eating their own kind - these are, perhaps, the main characteristics that are usually used to describe the tribal inhabitants of Papua New Guinea. However, in reality, everything is somewhat different - rumors about cruelty and cannibalism flourishing on these islands are clearly greatly exaggerated. At least, tourists who dare to get acquainted with the Papuan culture personally claim that the local aborigines are quite friendly, although at first they seem very stern and gloomy. By the way, Miklouho-Maclay, a Russian ethnographer-traveler who lived with wild tribes for many years, wrote about this in his diary. The scientist almost immediately revealed the innocence of these people, describing his first appearance on the island as follows: “With the exception of two or three scratches, no one dared to inflict a serious wound on me.” It must be said that since then (and this was in 1870), the Papuans have not lost their kindness of heart and are still ready to talk peacefully, unless you encroach on their lands, women and... pigs.

Stone XXI century

Over the past centuries, not only the psychological portrait of savages, but also the entire structure of their existence has changed little. Ethnographers who carefully studied the Papuan world agreed that many tribes still retained signs of the Stone Age structure in their everyday life. Most Papuans, being far from progress and the Big World, live exactly the same way as their ancestors lived. Yes, of course, some signs of the modern world have nevertheless penetrated the islands (instead of feathers and palm leaves, the natives now wear fabrics), but in general the way of life remains the same as many centuries ago.

However, it would be an absolute lie to say that with the advent of white people on these lands, the life of the Papuans did not change in any way. Since the creation of the mining industry by Europeans and the development of tourism in the country, some of the indigenous residents have left their tribal communities and are engaged in transporting guests, developing deposits, servicing shops, and so on. Today we can already say that a layer of entrepreneurs and farmers is being formed in Guinea. And many traditions and rituals either disappeared without a trace or turned into tourist attractions.

The tribe's plans are coming to life!

As many years ago, the bulk of the Papuan population lives in a communal-tribal system. Within a single tribe, as in the Stone Age, there is no place for private property, monogamous relationships, class gradation and state laws. All major work, be it harvesting or war with a neighboring tribe, is done by the community together. All disputes are resolved together, holidays are celebrated, and magical rituals are performed. Even seemingly purely personal issues such as choosing a bride or the timing of marriage are also decided jointly.

Papuans live mainly by hand farming, gathering, and much less often by hunting. With the advent of Europeans, pig farming began to play an important role in the functioning of the tribe, although meat is eaten very rarely here, for reasons of economy, replacing it with sweet potato, coconut and bananas.

The tribe itself is an association of large families, and the understanding of a “large family” here is very different from the European one and sometimes numbers about 30-40 people. What is noteworthy is that the basis of the cell of a wild society is women, the numerous wives of one man, the head of the family.

Who is the head in this house?

Well, what is a tribe without a leader! It is very easy to recognize him: his concentrated face, brutal appearance, piercing gaze. His opinion is authoritative and rarely subject to appeal. Moreover, even when the leader dies, his fellow tribesmen come to his body wrapped in palm leaves for a long time, eager to receive a piece of the wisdom of the departed leader.

The tribal ruler of Papua not only commands the community, but also heals it, for he is also a shaman and healer. Only the leader knows what disease and how to treat it, and how to properly circumcise boys - a mandatory procedure for initiating young men into men. In addition, the leader sterilizes the women of the tribe if she has given birth to two or more children. Alas, the tribe’s habitat is very limited; the community has no right to move from its home, so the birth rate in families is strictly controlled.

Men rule the world

Some will say that today in Papua women’s rights are not taken into account at all, but history shows that before the situation looked much less disingenuous. Not so long ago, in all Papuan tribes (and in some still) there were so-called Men's Houses. Only adult representatives of the stronger sex (those who are polygamists!) were allowed into it, and women were strictly prohibited from entering. And, truly, it is inappropriate for a woman to distract men from important thoughts and conversations. And important things were really discussed in the Men's House. The council decided what price should be offered for the bride, which of the tribe's families needed more living space, how to divide the harvest, and which warrior was worthy of going hunting.

Which of the young women of the tribe and, more importantly, who needed to marry, was also decided by the Men's House. In this case, the feelings of the unfortunate woman, of course, were not taken into account. And since it was impossible to marry young people from the same tribe (this was equated to incest), a very unenviable fate awaited the young lady. However, the position of a young woman in the tribe always had a temporary status. They lived in their community only until marriage, after which they moved to their husband’s tribe. Despite their joint activities, the barrier between the married couple remains throughout their lives: he lives in the Men's House, she in the Women's Hut, he owns his property, she owns hers. So the spiritual unity of a couple in love in Papua New Guinea does not even smell!

Wall to wall

The customs and traditions of the Papuan tribes are very different, and therefore each other’s rituals are completely incomprehensible to them. It’s no joke: there are about 700 languages ​​on these islands alone. So things are not going well with mutual understanding here, and when it comes to resolving mutual issues regarding the ownership of land, women and pigs, the Papuans take up the hatchet. Fighting here is not only a way to settle a dispute, but also a matter of honor for every man.

Several such inter-tribal armed clashes occur every year. The basis for declaring a serious war is theft or murder. As tradition dictates, the entire tribe stands up for the injured Papuan, but the community of the villain also does not remain in debt. The most commonly used traditional weapons are bows, arrows, axes and spears, but recently the Papuans have begun to resort to firearms. If the leaders of the warring tribes cannot come to an agreement peacefully, hostilities could continue for months, or even years.

Dance War

And yet, Papuans do not always howl with knives! In August, fights of a completely different nature take place on the islands - dance fights. At this time, at the foot of one of the highest mountains - Mount William - about a hundred tribes from all over Papua New Guinea gather to compete in dance skills at the traditional Sing Sing festival dedicated to the country's Independence Day.

Some may think that this festival of drums, costumes, songs and dances is nothing more than a tourist gimmick, but the roots of this event go back to the Stone Age. The distant ancestors of the Papuans performed something similar in honor of a victory over a neighboring community or in honor of a truce (all with the same neighboring tribe). In the 50s of the twentieth century, the festival received the status of an official holiday and was held to bring warring communities together. While ordinary members of the tribe danced and collectively ate watermelons, the leaders reached important agreements. The material benefits from the festival, when tourists began to come to the dance match, became just an additional bonus.

Papuans begin preparing for the event from the very early morning. There is a lot of work to be done: everyone needs to be painted in “branded” colors, dressed up in palm leaves, bird feathers, beads made from fangs and dog bones, and assigned dance parts. All efforts are thrown into telling the audience as clearly as possible, through crazy dances and chants, about the traditions, rituals and structure of their tribe. Tourists from all over the world come to see this colorful show. And there is a reason for this: this holiday is considered the largest gathering of native tribes in the world.

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 of human flesh. 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.

New Guinea is called the “island of the Papuans.” Translated from Indonesian daddy —"curly".
The Papuan tribes are indeed dark-haired and curly.
The island is buried in tropical forests; It's hot and humid there, and it rains almost every day.
In this climate, it is better to stay high away from the muddy and wet ground.
Therefore, in New Guinea there are almost no dwellings standing on the ground: they are usually raised on stilts and can even stand above the water.
The size of the house depends on how many people will live in it: one family or an entire village. For settlements, houses up to 200 meters long are built.
The most common type of building is a rectangular house with a gable roof.
Piles usually raise a house two to four meters above the ground, and the tribe kombayev generally prefers a height of 30 meters. Only there they probably feel safe.
Papuans build all houses without nails, saws or hammers, using a stone ax, which they wield masterfully.
Construction of a pile house requires good technical skills and knowledge.
Longitudinal logs are laid on the piles, transverse beams are placed on them, and thin poles are placed on top.
You can get into the house along a log with notches: first, into a kind of antechamber, more like a “veranda”. Behind it is a living space, separated by a bark partition.
There are no windows, light comes in from everywhere: through the entrance, and through cracks in the floor and walls. The roof is covered with sago palm leaves.

all pictures are clickable

The most amazing home of Papua owls is a tree house. This is a real technical masterpiece. Usually it is built on a large tree with a fork at a height of 6-7 meters. The fork is used as the main support of the house and a horizontal rectangular frame is tied to it - this is the foundation and at the same time the floor of the house.
The frame posts are attached to the frame. The calculation here must be extremely accurate so that the tree can withstand this structure.
The lower platform is made from the bark of a sago palm, the upper one from boards of a kentia palm; the roof is covered with palm trees
leaves instead of mat walls. On the lower platform there is a kitchen, and simple household belongings are also stored here. (from the book "Dwellings of the Nations of the World" 2002)

The main occupation is manual farming in the tropical zone. Secondary - hunting and gathering. Pig farming plays an important role. The main crops are coconut, banana, taro, yam.

Currently, due to European influence, Papuans are employed in the mining industry, working as drivers, salesmen, and clerks. A layer of entrepreneurs and farmers is being formed. 50% of the population is employed in subsistence farming.

Papuan villages are 100-150 people strong and can be compact or scattered. Sometimes it is one long house up to 200 m. The family has 5-6 plots of land in different stages of maturity. Every day one plot is weeded, and another is harvested. The harvest is kept standing, taking away food for 1 day. Collaborative work.

In every village, an important place is the buambramra - the public house.

Tools:

axe, made from agate, flint or tridacna shell;

dongan - a sharp sharpened bone, it is worn on the hand, tucked into a bracelet, and fruits are cut with it;

bamboo knife, cuts meat, fruits, stronger than dongan.

hagda - throwing spear, 2 m, made of hard, heavy wood;

servaru - a lighter spear, with a bamboo tip, which usually breaks and remains in the wound, decorated with feathers and fur;

aral - onion, 2 m long;

aral-ge - arrow, 1 m long, with a wooden tip;

palom - an arrow with a wide bamboo tip, more dangerous;

saran - arrow for fish;

yur - a throwing spear with several points;

clubs and shields.

Papuans' clothing consisted of a belt, red for men, and red and black striped for women. Bracelets were worn on the arm (sagyu) and on the legs (samba-sagyu). In addition, the body was decorated with objects threaded through holes, keke (in the nose) and bul (in the mouth). The things used were bags, yambi and gun - small ones, for tobacco and small items, they were worn around the neck, and a large bag on the shoulder. Women had their own women's bags (nangeli-ge). Belts and bags are made from bast or fibers of various trees, the names of which are not in Russian (tauvi, mal-sel, yavan-sel). Ropes are made from the fibers of the nug-sel tree, and anchor ropes are made from the bu-sel tree. Gutur tree resin is used as glue.

The Papuans' food is primarily plant-based, but they also eat pork, dog meat, chicken, rats, lizards, beetles, shellfish, and fish.

Products: munki - coconuts, moga - bananas, dep - sugar cane, mogar - beans, kangar - nuts, baum - sago, kew - a drink like kava. In addition to these, there are a number of fruits whose names have no analogue in Russian - ayan, bau, degarol, aus. All fruits, as a rule, are baked or boiled, including bananas. Breadfruit is not held in high esteem, but is eaten.

Despite the fact that outside the window is the rapid 21st century, which is called the age of information technology, here in the distant country of Papua New Guinea, it seems that time has stood still.

State of Papua New Guinea

The state is located in Oceania, on several islands. The total area is about 500 square kilometers. Population 8 million people. The capital is Port Moresby. The head of state is the Queen of Great Britain.

The name "Papua" translates as "curly". This is how the island was named in 1526 by a navigator from Portugal, the governor of one of the Indonesian islands, Jorge de Menezes. 19 years later, the Spaniard, one of the first explorers of the Pacific Islands, Inigo Ortiz de Retes, visited the island and named it “New Guinea”.

Official language of Papua New Guinea

Tok Pisin is recognized as the official language. It is spoken by the majority of the population. And also English, although only one person in a hundred knows it. Basically, these are government officials. An interesting feature: the country has more than 800 dialects and therefore Papua New Guinea is recognized as the country with the largest number of languages ​​(10% of all languages ​​in the world). The reason for this phenomenon is the almost complete lack of connections between tribes.

Tribes and families in New Guinea

Papuan families still live in tribal mode. An individual “unit of society” is simply unable to survive without contact with its tribe. This is especially true for life in cities, of which there are quite a few in the country. However, here a city is considered to be any settlement with a population of more than a thousand people.

Papuan families form tribes and live close to other urban people. Children usually do not attend schools located in cities. But even those who go to study very often return home after one or two years of study. It is also worth noting that girls do not study at all. Because the girl helps her mother with housework until she is married off.

The boy returns to his family to become one of the equal members of his tribe - a “crocodile”. That's what men are called. Their skin should be similar to the skin of a crocodile. Young men undergo initialization and only then have the right to communicate on equal terms with the rest of the men of the tribe, they have the right to vote at a meeting or other event taking place in the tribe.

The tribe lives as one big family, supports and helps each other. But he usually does not contact the neighboring tribe or even openly quarrels. Recently, the Papuans have had their territory cut off quite heavily; it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to maintain the old order of life in nature in natural conditions, their thousand-year-old traditions and their unique culture.

Papua New Guinea families have 30-40 people. Women of the tribe run the household, care for livestock, give birth to children, collect bananas and coconuts, and prepare food.

Papuan food

Not only fruits are the main food of the Papuans. Pork is used for cooking. The tribe protects pigs and eats their meat very rarely, only on holidays and memorable dates. More often they eat small rodents that live in the jungle and banana leaves. Women can cook all dishes from these ingredients amazingly deliciously.

Marriage and family life of New Guineans

Women have practically no rights, submitting first to their parents and then entirely to their husbands. By law (in the country the majority of residents are Christians), the husband is obliged to treat his wife well. But in reality this is far from the case. The practice of ritual murders of women who bear even the shadow of suspicion of witchcraft continues. According to statistics, more than 60% of women are constantly exposed to domestic violence. International public organizations and the Catholic Church are constantly sounding the alarm on this issue.

But, unfortunately, everything remains the same. A girl at 11-12 years old is already married off. At the same time, parents lose “another mouth to feed”, since a younger girl becomes an assistant. And the groom’s family acquires free labor, so they look closely at all girls six to eight years old. Often the groom can be a man 20-30 years older than the girl. But there is no choice. Therefore, each of them meekly accepts their fate as a given.

But the man himself does not choose his future wife, whom he can see only before the traditional wedding ceremony. The decision on choosing a bride will be made by the elders of the tribe. Before the wedding, it is customary to send matchmakers to the bride’s family and bring a gift. Only after such a ceremony is the wedding day set. On this day, the ritual of “kidnapping” the bride takes place. A decent ransom must be paid to the bride's house. This can be not only various valuable things, but also, for example, wild boars, banana branches, vegetables and fruits. When the bride is given to another tribe or another house, her property is divided among the members of the community from which the girl comes.

Life in marriage cannot be called easy. According to ancient traditions, a woman lives separately from a man. In the tribe there are so-called women's and men's houses. Adultery, on either side, can be punished very harshly. There are also special huts where husband and wife can periodically retire. They can also retire in the forest. Girls are raised by their mothers, and boys from the age of seven are raised by the men of the tribe. Children in the tribe are considered common, and they are not treated on ceremony. Among the Papuans you will not find such a disease as overprotection.

This is the difficult family life of the Papuans.

Witchcraft law

In 1971, the country passed the Witchcraft Law. It says that a person who considers himself “bewitched” is not responsible for his actions. The murder of a sorcerer is a mitigating circumstance in court proceedings. Very often, women from another tribe become victims of accusations. Four years ago, a gang of cannibals who called themselves witch hunters killed men and women and then ate them. The government is trying to fight this terrible phenomenon. Perhaps the witchcraft law will finally be repealed.