Papua New Guinea – About thirty years ago I went on a dive trip to Papua New Guinea. At that time, they still practiced cannibalism. It was still a very primitive country. They operated on a strict eye-for-an-eye warfare.
We flew there because we wanted to dive and we wanted to go down the Sepik River and participate in a Sing Sing in the highlands. The Sepik River is the longest river in New Guinea and to this day is considered the least contaminated freshwater wetland in the Asia-Pacific.
The Sing Sing is an annual event that all the tribes participate in. All the tribes wear very colorful costumes with big, colorful feathers. There can be over 1,000 tribes competing. The prize money is huge and the competition is very important to the tribes. At the time we went, very few foreigners ventured out to see the competition.
We took a dug out canoe and it took us three days to get up to the highlands. One night, it was late when we arrived, there were no accommodations. We stayed in some of the market stalls in one of the villages along the river. We pitched our mosquito nets over the stalls and bedded down for some much needed sleep.
In the middle of the night, we were awakened by the villagers singing. All of a sudden this Witch Doctor appeared in a huge mask and started a ceremony to take the evil spirits away. We weren’t sure if we were the evil spirits! They looked ferocious in their war paint and the communication between us and the natives was mostly through our facial expressions and our hands (the international way to communicate!). After my initial fear settled, I managed to negotiate the purchase of the Witch Doctor’s mask and this started my mask collection!
We continued on our trip to the highlands after the exorcism to the Sing Sing. I remember seeing the creativity of the people and their early adoption of recycling incorporated into their costuming. One native had a plastic piece from an old phone, you know, the circular dial with the numbers, pierced into his nose. These people were way ahead of their time!
Just like when I was a little girl, I flew away from Papua New Guinea in a small plane on to our next adventure in the Great Barrier Reef. But that is another story…
Tags: family travel, foreign countries, geography, leisure, Papua New Guinea, travel, travel agency, trips, vacation
November 17, 2009 at 7:03 pm |
that’s interesting.
nice pics and video
November 23, 2009 at 2:19 pm |
Great idea sharing the stories, Maryles. Can’t wait to hear about the other masks in your collection.
November 24, 2009 at 6:55 am |
Thanks Katherine! I’m enjoying reliving the memories of my travels. It makes me want to go back and visit these places all over again.
Maryles