Papua New Guinea
"Azaro Mudmen" According to tradition the warriors cover themselves in grey mud and spooky masks. These ghostlike apparitions once frightened off a superior enemy.
"Huli Wigmen"- at home in the Southern Highlands are famous for their beautiful headwigs made of hair and decorated with flowers and feathers from paradisebirds. They are very expensive to buy and to own one gives you high social standing.
Young unmarried men can (if they can afford the pig fee) go and stay in special villages for the purpose of hair-growing.
Of course it takes time for hair to grow, but during the 1-2 years they are gone they also learn to play the flute and use a bow and arrows.
At last, this is how nice things turn out.......
"Mushroom Men" in various stages of hairgrowth
Cool fashion!
......and once at home one is very sought after on the marriage market!
Different traditions and customs, but looking at girls is an international pasttime!
The headmans wife and children waiting for the "Sing Sing" to begin. The men dance & the women watch.
We also met the village doctor. He is the 9th generation medicineman. Skulls from the previous 7 generations are on the shelf waiting for company..
Father-medicineman lies here waiting to move upp to the other ancestors. This will happen when his son has a dream telling him tha time has come
Mother-medicineman in a pretty pink cap.
The medicineman told us through an interpreter that they really don´t like burrying their dead but, "we burry them a few years and then dig them up again, so everyone is happy! you keep photographs of your loved ones and we do it this way!"
to Cambodia to travel to top of page