Clan leader of the Kombai tribe, standing in entryway of his family’s tree house. He has a pig tusk as a nose ornament, a pig tooth necklace, cassowary quill earrings, a rattan belt, and a penis-gourd for clothing. I was the first person he had ever met outside of his language group. It’s unclear why the Korowai and Kombai people live in tree houses, but speculation centers on a combination of health (less bugs/mosquitoes) and ease to defend from attack, as the area is known for clan warfare and cannibalism.
This picture was taken as part of an expedition for GEO Magazine and National Geographic Magazine to document the way of life of the Korowai tribe. Most of the Korowai in these photos had never had prior contact with anyone outside of their language group, and have no material goods from the outside world. They live in tree houses built above the forest floor to protect themselves from outsiders. The Korowai believe that contact with outsiders will bring an end to their culture. Cannibalism has been part of their traditional system of criminal justice to avenge the death of their clansmen, but the practice is dying out and is outlawed by the Indonesian government. The Korowai believe that most natural deaths are caused by sorcery, and must be avenged by the death (and consumption) of the person responsible.
- Filename
- STNMTZ_19950601_48.tif
- Copyright
- © 1995 George Steinmetz
- Image Size
- 7266x4811 / 100.0MB
- www.georgesteinmetz.com
- Contained in galleries
- Tree People
