Tari - Home of the Huli Wigman

We stayed one night in Port Moresby (the capital of Papua New Guinea) and during our dinner we where entertained by a show band from Bougainville. They where dancing, singing and drumming on bamboo sticks. We understood that our stay in Papua New Guinea would be a CULTURE CHOCK!!

We didn’t know by then that we would have 25 unforgettable days in this fascinating country! We have so much to share with you and therefore we will write four separate stories. Below follows number one.

From Lonely Planet you can read about Tari: - “The town is just the airfield plus a handful of buildings” Imagine the look in our face when we landed with Air Nuigini and thousands of colorful Huli-people where hanging on the fence!!! EVERYONE wanted to see the BIG 36 passenger plane (and maybe us!). It was a Friday, Payday and also Market day, so EVERYONE was there.

Steven Wari, a Huliman and owner of the Warili Lodge met us and together with two lovely Belgian bird watching Vet’s we went up to the mountains and Warili Lodge. Two flat tires and two hours later we reach the lodge! What a road!! Highlands Highway is more like a big cow path. It is full of holes, big stones and very muddy. After the second flat tire we decided to walk the last 30 minutes to Warili Lodge. The good thing is that we had the time to see the surrounding and to say Hello to the people. “Always look at the bright side of life”.

Warili Lodge in Southern Highlands has a wonderful view over the Tari Basin and Steven has made it very nice and welcoming, we felt like at home immediately. Very nice staff, good food, comfortable bed and……hot showers!!! It is not that hot, only 20 Celsius but…no mosquito’s, JIPPI!!! Everyday, after a bacon & egg breakfast (and a lot of local fruit) we went to different “Study tours”. Martin is driving us in his little blue truck. The people are looking at us with big eyes and say: Honapi, Honapi!! Meaning White, White!!

We have seen in our mails that you have been worried about us during some earthquakes. And, Yes, one afternoon the main building really where shaking. That was a bit scary for a couple of seconds. But nothing happened and it wasn’t a big one….this time. All “Hulis” are extremely friendly and curious. Some of them speak English and we are really enjoying their company. They seem to have a good life, no one is starving, no beggars and they look very healthy and they love to talk!

The thing they need most is a new road!!!!

During our four-day stay we visited:

TARALI VILLAGE & HORONAPA VILLAGE

They made a “Singsing” for us! A Spirit dance. Fascinating!! We learned much about the Huli Wigmans culture and how the live. Every “village” (every landowner make their own “village”) is surrounded by a three-meter high mud wall and there are always at least two houses, one for the men (women are not allowed to come close) and one for the women and children. A man can have multiple wives, Steven has three!! When the boys are about 5-6 years they have to move into the men’s house. Pigs and gardening is very, very important. If a man owns many pigs and has a big garden it means that he is very rich. In some of the villages the pigs and women stay in the same house (!) but it is more and more common to separate them, due to health risks! They build their houses in a traditional way, from bamboo and sago and grass and a fireplace without a hole in the roof. The smoke is building tar and the tar stops the rain….. and it also stops the smell of dirty clothes and sweat. Showers??? We can hardly explain how we are living in the Western World….must sound crazy for them….that we have so many THINGS!! We feel comfortable with just a Backpack for one year.

TIGIBI MARKET

This Saturday Market is just located between Tari and Warili Lodge. Many Hulis are still wearing traditional clothes. Aren’t they beautiful?! And always so very friendly!

TOTOPU VILLAGE

An “Singsing” made by Toma Andaga and some other relatives to Steven. They have been preparing for a couple of hours. Toma is showing us around his village and told us proudly that the Women and pigs have separate houses. Good!!

PAPAI WIDOW AND GRAVE

The widow of a man that have died in war (Yes, the tribes are still fighting a lot) is morning for a long time, between many months to years. She is wearing many necklaces and everyday while visiting the grave she is removing one shell from the necklace until there are no more shells. At this time the “killing” tribe hopefully had given back for example a pig or more to the Widows tribe. She is painted in white with black stripes. The stripes are “oil” from her dead husband’s body…. In the past they use to bury the body on a bed 2-3 meter above ground and the liquid from the body were dripping down from the four pillars….But now, of healthy reasons, they bury the bodies under ground. And the widows use the ash from the fire on the grave. The sister (and her baby) to this widow is following her everyday to the grave. Overall they really take care of each other. Hope they do not change by influence from the white people.…..

MALUA BACHELOR CENTER

Why do you think they are could “Huli Wigman”? Yes, that’s correct, they wear wigs!! Everyman has at least two wigs, one for everyday use and one for ceremonies. Young men, from 15-16 years old, go to “Bachelor School” and make wigs from their own hair! A Teacher teaches theme how to grow hair and make wigs and also all other things about the Huli culture. It takes about 18 month to make one wig. During this time they are not allowed to meet girls. They believe that Women make them weak and sick. They live a hard life high up in the mountains, and you can see on their bodies that they are very well trained. Not a very good idea to build a Gym up here. A couple of times every day they go down to the river and they drink the “holy” water and they also take this “holy water” over their bodies and hair, to make them strong and healthy and also to make their hair more blond…They looked jealously at Eva.......

A Bachelor can make only one wig but he can also stay for a long time and make many wigs. Nowadays about 50% goes to this school and about 50% are in “normal” schools. Steven, for example, has been educated in a “normal” school BUT his father was a BIG Teacher in a Bachelor school (before he got married to three wives!) so he knows all about the culture as well. He has two wigs, but he has bought them for a lot of money. Steven is a big Ambassador for his people and they need more people like him!

TARI GAP

A mountain pass, about 2.500 meters above sea level, that we heard is the number one place in the world for birdwatchers. What a waste…we don’t know much about birds….but they are really beautiful and we found it very fascinating. We have seen different kinds of Birds of Paradise, Honeyeaters, Sicklebills and Parrots. On our way to the waterfall (it seems like every village in the Pacific has their own Waterfall) we see a lot of nice orchids, very beautiful And they don’t fly away when we are taking pictures!!!

To sum up, Southern Highlands and the Huli Wigman’s are unbelievable fascinating and colorful, fairly unspoiled, very helpful people, and there is a smell of smoke, ash, rainforest and sweat. Go there! If you are an adventurer this is Paradise! A good timing could be April 11, 12 and 13 2007 when Hela Province is organizing a big show. It will compete with the famous shows in Goroka and Mt Hagen.

Most of them are very red in the mouth due to chewing Betel nut. Betel nut is a nut that together with mustard and lime powder turn out to a red “mud”. They do this chewing also instead of brushing their teeth!!!!! They also use moss, and other plants instead of soap for cleaning. Everyone looks healthy and seems to have a good life. We really wish them a new road!!!! Steven and his staff made us some “Mumu” yesterday, Yummie!!!

They buried heated stones together with sweet potato, chicken, taro, corn and other vegetables wrapped in banana leaves, covered everything with more leaves and mud. About the same as ” Lovo” in Fiji and “Hangi” in New Zealand.

Today, 31 May we are traveling, 3 flights with Air Niugini and its not that much different from other flights except from maybe the smell of sweat and that the Airhostess says –“Smoking AND chewing Betel nut is strictly forbidden during the flight”! Finally we are landing in Wewak were we will start our next tour on the Sepik River!! Very exciting!! Eva is well prepared with a STROOONG mosquito repellent, Cortisone salve to have ‘after bite” ….and we have taking our first Malaria tablet.

So…Sepik here we come!!!! Apo!!

Kisses

EvAnders