Oceania

[Visited: August 2023]

Oh, we had seen them at the Mount Hagen festival of course. It is simply impossible to miss them. Not just because of the impressively painted bodies, making them look like walking skeletons, but at least as much because of the lively show they perform. They run, shout, draw their spears, stick out their tongues, and have this black monster with huge claws running after them. Today, it is time to have a more intimate encounter with them. We arrive early, and walk down from the Highlands Highway. It is a crisp, clear morning, and the views across the valley, and of the mountains on the southern side, are awesome. We see a small church, meet several people and pass a few street sellers. Everyone greets us warmly, some ask to have their picture taken. Then, we arrive at a grassy space, shaded by surrounding trees. We are asked to wait, and through some bushes, we can see some skeleton men getting ready. I expect them to just walk out and pose to be photographed - but I am wrong.
A skeleton girl walks through the bush into the open space, apparently minding her own business, singing along softly. Then, a monster appears from behind. He has a brown fur, a huge black face, and enormous fingers. He follows her, then attacks, and carries her away upside down. The girl is left on the ground, and the monster disappears. Then come out skeleton men and women, and they walk in a circle around the girl on the ground. Eventually, she gets up. Next scene, a couple is working the earth, and they get both attacked by the same monster. The woman escapes, while the man gets into a fight with the monster. He climbs a tree to avoid the monster, who tries to pull him down. The monster eventually disappears into the bush, and the skeleton man gets his companions. Together, they pull the monster out of the bush by its tail, and conquer him. All's well that ends well.
One of them explains the history. The skeleton men had settled in the region, but were chased by a mysterious monster who abducted and killed them. They then learned to paint themselves as skeletons, so they appeared superhuman, and thus they conquered the monster who threatened them. They then used their appearance also to surprise their enemies who were scared by them. They take their time to pose for and with us, yelling and sticking out their tongues - which it is easy to imagine their opponents were once frightened by. It is amazing that this tribe was discovered only in the 1930s - and even more amazing to think that there are still tribes in Papua New Guinea that have not yet been discovered and whom no one has ever seen. It only goes to show the incredible cultural wealth of the country.

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Skeleton Men (Papua New Guinea)

Skeleton Men > Papua New Guinea > Oceania

[Visited: August 2023]

Around the World in 80 Clicks