Papua New Guinea Local Custom Tips by jadedmuse

I soon learned that women do the brunt of the daily work, as seems to typify many cultures.

Here we see a Highlands woman showing me how she plants her crops (in this case, cabbage or taro). We were encouraged - much to the delight of the villagers - to "try" whatever it was they were doing, which in this case, was back-breaking work!

I found it astounding that these women go through their day wearing a kind of woven bag on their heads - inside, they place whatever they're harvesting, or buying, or they can even fit a small child in there! This woman was extremely dexterous to be able to bend over and tend to the crops and not have that thing fall off her head or snap her neck. I kept my backpack on so that I could see what that sensation is like....not fun, I tell you!

Amazing.

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Women don't normally run around shooting bows & arrows (that's mens' work) so our host is probably thinking I must be a bit strange.....

We were lucky enough to be driving over to this villager's place when we were stopped in the road by a man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere....he had a bow and arrow and wasn't exacly the welcoming committee I'd imagined.

Turns out we'd driven straight into the middle of two families feuding - complete with bow and arrow fight! After exhanging a few words with our guide, he waved us along without a problem and we continued on our way.

Ironically a few minutes later, we arrived at this villager's home, where I was shown how to draw a bow and arrow.

A little too much, a little too late?!?

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We were treated by one of the villagers, showing us how he makes fire.

It was like something out of the film "The Gods Must Be Crazy".....

Of course when I tried to make fire that way, we could have sat there all day waiting for a tiny column of smoke to appear!

It's safe to say this guy had a lot more practice "making fire" than I did....

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I could have fainted with relief when I saw how this guy was sleeping....realizing that there were groups like the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations where you can spend a night or two with the locals, which includes the sleeping accomodations...!

In all seriousness, the Huli people are accustomed to sleeping like this and find no problem or hardship to place their head on a hard branch at night when they lay down to sleep.

Again...amazing!

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I was fascinated to learn that it is the men, not the women, who wear "make-up".

In fact, we learned that the men spend most of their day in groups, chatting, gossiping, smoking their pipes, and putting make-up on. (This is when they are not engaged in a tribal fight or a sing-sing, a colorful group dance which the Highlands villagers do during special celebrations).

It was kind of like a surreal role reversal of male/female, at least to my Western eyes.

The men are very particular about the colors they put on their faces, and most of the colors are from nuts and berries and plants found in the natural surroundings. Nowadays, the villagers are applying shoe polish and other paints that are imported from Australia.

Progress!?!

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It is customary for the village men to sit around and pass the pipe...nothing narcotic about the tobacco, although the tobacco itself is raw and really harsh.

I can't recall if I tried the pipe (for fun)...I'm sure I did.

If you get the opportunity to try anything offered to you by a local, it's a good (and gracious) idea to always indulge.

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If you're lucky enough to catch a real live "Sing-Sing" then you'll have seen everything.

I never did see a true Sing-Sing - one that was orchestrated by the locals in honor of some tribal festival or wedding or special celebration - but we did get to see someone decked out in what would be typical "Sing-Sing" decor.

I'm attaching my photo which is a close up of the man's face, painted with great detail and eloquently decorative; below this tip is a scanned post card showing a group of Highlands tribemen at a Sing-Sing, and you can see their long skirts and line up.

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Since I was unable to witness a real Sing-Sing, I can only share a scanned postcard.

Notice how the men are lined up, looking straight ahead. A typical Sing-Sing consists of two line-ups facing each other. Off to the side may be someone playing a percussion instrument, but largely the Sing-Sing is made up of swaying, circling and jumping maneuvers, always while maintaining these two lines across from each other.

The attire is supposed to be spectacular and the men are known to prepare months in advance for such a special event...and Sing-Sings take place whenever there is an air of celebration or a special honor to be marked. Friendly tribes face off in these line-ups and dance their hearts out, and then everybody eats a celebration feast afterwards. It's the major event in the Highlands.

Like I said - if you're lucky enough to catch a real live Sing-Sing, then you'll have seen a spectacular show!

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I love this picture because it captures the West meets the East....

Here we see a Highlands (Huli) man who proudly displays his father's skull on a raised platform...the skull of his dead father is believed to contain a powerful spirit that will ward off evil and keep the remaining members of the family safe from harm.

Meanwhile in front of this rather macabre display, a make-shift wooden cross.

Gotta love those missionaries!

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I'm not quite sure what these were to be used for, nor from what animal they came.

But as far as photo opportunities go, this one was too good to resist.

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