By Anne Gordon
Tell a North American fisherman that he can catch fish with a spider web and he’ll scoff at the idea. Then tell him that a rattle made of coconut shell and bamboo is a sure thing for luring sharks and the response will be equally incredulous.
In Papua New Guinea off the northern coast of Australia, fishermen gather spider webs from the forest at daybreak. Attached to kite tails, trailing webs when skimming across the water lure drummer fish to the surface. Then, tangled in the fine strands the fish are drawn in.
As for luring sharks, David Kirkland, an Australian photographer, had first-hand experience of that dangerous undertaking. Joining what he thought was a seasoned “shark caller” he paddled out to sea in a flimsy outrigger canoe. Lowering a coconut shell and bamboo rattle into the water his companion shook it. Within minutes a curious shark emerged from the inky depths. At the sight of the monster, the Papuan – obviously a novice – took fright. Tipping the dugout, he unseated Kirkland who landed foursquare on top of the shark. “I shot off that bloody shark like an Exocet” said Kirkland. “My camera equipment … sank to the bottom.
In the ocean surrounding Papua New Guinea, divers can expect to see scorpion fish, ghost pipe fish, pygmy sea horses swaying beside giant sea fans, Eagle Rays advancing like an army of predatory space-age birds and sinuous evil-eyed eels peering from cavities in the coral reef.
Schools of barracuda swirling in glittering funnels lit by a filtered sun sweep out of the blue, while silver tip sharks cruise by, slow and menacing. From the daintiest sea slug to the gargantuan proportions of a gliding whale shark as it sups on masses of krill each time it opens its mouth, this ocean with its islands, atolls and coral reefs is ranked among the world’s finest diving destinations.
Land exploration in Papua New Guinea is equally magical. Western crowned pigeons and Birdwing butterflies live alongside jungle wallabies, possums, tree kangaroos and echidnas who at mating time link up with a train of other lovelorn males to pursue a single female for sometimes four weeks at a time.
Disembarking from a bush plane in the village of Timbunke, we six travel-obsessed women were ready for a journey that would cover places that few westerners have ever seen. Our exploration was to take in the central part of the Sepik river watercourse that twists and winds for 700 miles to the Bismarck Sea.
Stilt villages along the river are home territory to sorcerers, spirits, strange rituals and dark secrets.
Villagers whose antecedents have lived alongside the Sepik for thousands of years, have a spectacular art tradition. Their Haus Tambarans (Spirit Houses) are beautifully crafted. Masks, hand drums, ancestral figures and shell jewellery are making their way into the western collectibles market. Head dresses crowned with feathers and decorated with pig’s tusks and shells are a popular buy. Fantastical Malagan helmet masks specifically made for use in ceremonies honouring the dead, are to be found in museums around the world.
We visited a “Women’s House” (men and women live separately along the Sepik) where young girls, their mothers and grandmothers, bare-breasted but bejeweled with necklaces of shells and gleaming ivory tusks and wearing grass skirts danced for us. In the ‘Mens House’ we listened enthralled to the beat of a voluminous drum and haunting primeval music of flutes drifting in the sultry air.
Young men of the Iatmul tribe, believing that they are descended from a crocodile, undergo an initiation ritual that involves having crocodile patterns cut into their bodies with ultra sharp blades. John Fearfull, the captain of the “Sepik Spirit”, a riverboat on which we traveled, is one of few white men ever initiated into this tribe.
On a steamy night as the “Sepik Spirit” rocked gently against a pit pit covered riverbank, Fearfull told us of his initiation ordeal. Following a lengthy period of sleep deprivation and numerous painful and frightening rituals – many of which he would not describe because of sworn secrecy – hundreds of incisions made with ultra sharp blades were cut into his body. As the painful ceremony was underway, elders beat garamut drums made from hollowed-out tree trunks elaborately carved to resemble totem animals.
For days afterwards the incisions were scrubbed to open them up, then mud was packed into the cuts to cause infection making the resultant scars more prominent. In Fearfull’s words, “It was a serious commitment for me. I felt strongly about the initiation, I still do, but the cutting and what followed, made for the worst pain I have felt in my entire life. At one point the elders thought I would bleed to death.”
On all Papua New Guinea islands dress is a distinguishing factor. In the Highlands, attire is often a bunch of leaves hanging from a bark belt to cover the buttocks and a lap lap (a small piece of cloth) worn in the front to cover genitalia. A bow with accompanying arrows slung over one shoulder is not just a fashion accessory. It completes the outfit of a modern day warrior.
For ceremonies and festivals males in particular take on a whole new persona. For them, self decoration is an art form, an exhibition of culture and a celebration that identifies them with a specific clan.
Huli men wear elaborate crescent shaped wigs similar to a toreador’s hat. Fashioned from their own hair, wigs are trimmed with yellow daisies and crowned with sprays of long silky Bird of Paradise feathers. Faces are painted canary yellow. Earrings made from toolbox oddments, necklaces made from seeds and opalescent shells, and a slender twig or a two-foot long feather through a pierced nose add to their adornment.
Mud men from Goroka with their huge mud masks and sharpened bamboo claws on their fingers are more intimidating. Bodies are covered with whitish clay. Brandishing clubs and spears during an aggressive dance gives them the appearance of creatures from the underworld.
Attending the Mount Hagen festival in August is to see Papuans at their most magnificent. Thousands of clansmen from all the islands gather in this small Highland town to enjoy three days of competition and fun.
Like the male bird when out to attract a mate, Papuan men – handsome at best – are most glorious when dressed for a Sing Sing.
