Despite the widespread use of the achievements of science and technology, in the southeastern part of the Indonesian province of Papua, a small area of territory is lost, where progress has not yet reached. The place resembles a corner of the Stone Age, the population of which adheres to the primitive way of life
In the early 70s of the last century, in the central part of the island of New Guinea, Dutch travelers discovered a tribe of people living in trees. To protect themselves from the raids of neighboring tribes, the Korowai Papuans built dwellings in the jungle at a height of more than 15 meters. Christian missionaries managed to end the endless wars between Aboriginal people. Most of the clans have settled into the environment offered by the Europeans and are now quite friendly towards strangers.
Nevertheless, "skyscrapers" continue to be built.
The habitat of the Korowai is an inaccessible area between rugged mountains and two large rivers. The population of the tribe does not exceed a thousand people, and the way of life has not changed for centuries. They do not know iron, there are practically no household utensils, they use stone and bone tools for hunting and work, and are armed with bows and spears.
The tribe consists of several large families, there is no tribal leader or shaman. Another reason for living in the crowns of trees is the fear of the arrival of sorcerers. At night, the whole family, along with supplies and animals, climbs the stairs from flexible vines to the heavenly dwellings.
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The main food source for the Korowai is the sago tree. Everything is used for cooking - leaves, fruits, wood. The tribe makes flour with the help of stone millstones, then it is added to dishes from larvae, roots and fruits, to the meat of wild goats, boars, and fish. Eggs of beetles, which can sometimes be found in rotten leaves, are considered a special delicacy. They are fried and served as the main dish at a festive feast.
The Korowai think about the future - they will definitely plant a new sago tree in place of the felled one. Pigs are another object of boundless love and worship. They are caught in a snare and tamed, over time the wild animal becomes completely domesticated and acts as a guard dog. They also carry things and children. Pigs are so prized in the tribe that women breastfeed piglets, and pigs caught stealing are immediately killed.
The tribe does not wear clothes. Women confine themselves to a loincloth and a variety of fancy necklaces made of shells and boar tusks, and bats are threaded through their noses. Men are real fashionistas. Their only piece of clothing is a penis sheath. Moreover, every man has at least two of them - everyday and ceremonial. The dress-up "suit" is decorated with fur and has the most bizarre shape, corresponding to the latest trends in local fashion!
The entire Korowai tribe constantly smokes - women, children, men - fold cigarettes from the leaves and grind without ceasing.
The Korowai concept of a family is rather primitive. All women of the tribe belong to all men. Moreover, only once a year, during the flowering of the sago tree, is the celebration of intercourse - massive and comprehensive. At the same time, a group of young girls remains in the tribe, which no man pretends to. They are intended to be given in marriage to neighboring tribes, to be sacrificed to spirits on the coming holidays (in other words, to be eaten).
Yes, the tribe has developed cannibalism. This phenomenon exists as a ritual: to eat an enemy, a stranger, especially a white one, means to gain his courage, strength, health, immortality.
The term of life in the tribe is not long - men are on average up to 30 years old, women are slightly longer. The loss of loved ones is a great grief for everyone. traditionally, women cut off the phalanx of their fingers in memory of the deceased, and men cut their ear. Men in the tribe often die, because some women are left completely without fingers at the end of their lives.
The most distinguished and respected dead are mummified, but this is a very high honor and it rarely falls out. Usually, the corpses are left wrapped in leaves on the ground for wild animals.
There are many dangers awaiting the Korowai tribe - bites of poisonous insects, wounds and scratches that do not heal for a long time in the local climate, hunting accidents. But the main danger is infections brought in from the outside by missionaries and travelers. They are killed by the usual flu, rubella, measles, tuberculosis …
Their little world can die from the slightest shock. But at the same time, the world of Korowai is gradually narrowing, civilization is advancing, destroying the jungle in the tropics …
Such architecture for the inhabitants of the Korowai tribe is nothing more than a way to protect themselves from floods, insects and predators living below. In addition, local residents believe that the higher the house is, the more inaccessible it is for evil spirits. Families live in houses, the number of members of which can reach 12 people. Quite often, together with them, the loaves raise all domestic animals.
Let's read what the traveler Leonid Kruglov writes about his stay in this tribe.
I wanted to reach the wildest clans of the tribe. In the missionary village of Senggo, I found two Papuans who know English, and we hit the road.
For four days we walked through the deserted swampy jungle, until one of the guides noticed a hut about six meters long and two meters wide at the edge of the forest. Not a soul around. The inside is empty. Tired, we fell to the bamboo floor and dozed off …
Suddenly waking up, directly above me I saw the face of a hunched old man in a loincloth. A gray beard, disheveled hair and huge whites of eyes - Uncle Ay from the Soviet cartoon! He studied me intently. I pushed the sleeping guides to the side. They jumped to their feet, frightening the old man, forcing him to hide in an unlit corner of the house. After short conversations in the local dialect, the stranger calmed down. As it turned out, Uncle Au, or rather Wuningi, is the keeper of the fire from the Sayah clan. His family has built a hut in which the members of the clan will temporarily stay. They will gather in a few days for the ritual of building a tree house. In the meantime, Wuningi brought fire here: the flame smoldered in a small split log, in which dry leaves were embedded. This is how the Korowai and other Papuans carry fire over long distances.
By the next day, thirty people had gathered in the hut. The owner of the future house was a tall man, Oni. As they explained to me, he had two reasons for building a new dwelling: firstly, the old one fell into disrepair, and secondly, They were preparing to become a father.
According to the rules, the owner of the future house is obliged to arrange a feast for all those present. The main treat is the larvae of the woodcutter beetle. To stock up on them, Oni prepared several sago palms a month before the ceremony - cut them down and left them to rot in the swamp.
All the members of the clan went into the thicket. I am with them. On the spot, Oni chopped down the top layer from one of the lying palms. Fat white larvae, three or four centimeters long, swarmed inside. The korowai rejoiced and immediately began to eat them. Seeing that I was standing aside, They collected several larvae in a palm leaf and brought them to me. I tried to refuse, but the hero of the occasion frowned.
- This is the daughter of the Mother of the saga. Everyone who is going to build a house must eat it.”He handed me one larva after having torn off its head.
Saga is the main tree used by the Korowai for construction. Therefore, their main deity is the goddess of the saga. Not eating the larva means giving up a kind of primitive communion and thereby offending the tribe. Almost closing my eyes, I swallowed the "delicacy" and, to my surprise, noted that it tasted like a porcini mushroom. They patted me on the back approvingly.
The feast lasted two days. In the evenings, the clan members gathered around the fire, smoked their pipes and told each other the news. This was the preparation for the main part of the ritual.
In the early morning all the members of the clan went to the forest. Powerful banyans with a height of about 15 meters grew in the thicket. But the Korowai passed them and approached what was at least twice as high.
“This tree is worthy of the Oni, the strongest in our clan,” said the Wounings. - The stronger a person is, the higher he must live.
The thin trunks of the sago palm tree, peeled of bark, were already lying near the banyan tree. They were apparently prepared in advance. Several men grabbed two trunks and scrambled up the tree. The other two, using the soft bark as ropes, began to tie thick branches that had been cut beforehand to the trunks. The result is a staircase with a height of about 10 meters. At this level, the construction of the site began, which I took as the basis for the future house: right on the tree, the Korowai knitted a flooring like a raft. By nightfall, the work was finished.
The next day, at about noon, I discovered that yesterday's "raft in a tree" was only the first platform. A second, smaller one has already appeared 10 meters higher. The Korowai themselves sat almost at the top and cut thin branches, leaving only thick branches, which were supposed to serve as the foundation of the house.
By evening, most of the Korowai went to the hut, but a few men continued to work. Two people were at the top. Two others stood on the platforms: one - on the top, the other - on the bottom - and brought the trunks of the sago palm up, where they knitted the next "raft" - the floor of the future house. The Korowai did not take breaks from work even at night.
On the morning of the third day, a house towered about 20-25 meters above the ground. It was six meters long and three meters wide. The roof was made from palm leaves.
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- You have to climb, you will not see such houses anywhere. I have the “tallest house” in the clan,”Oni said and pushed me forward.
On the second landing, the stairs ended. The only way to climb to the house was a hanging sago tree trunk with serifs like small steps. I did it with difficulty.
“This is how we protect ourselves from outsiders,” Oni explained. - The end of the trunk is only fixed to the ceiling of the house. If someone tries to climb, I will know immediately when I see the barrel swinging.
Through a hole in the floor, I entered the dwelling. The hut, without windows or doors, was rather gloomy. The light came in through two small holes in the roof. They, They explained, were made so that animal spirits could enter and leave the house. Then, according to legends, there will always be prosperity.
In the evening, the owner of the house killed the boar. A fire was made at the foot of the banyan tree. Several people gathered around and sang something lyrical.
They sat aside with their chosen one, smiled and looked up to where their new home was. The tree house that a man built for his son.