The Simbu Festival Regarded as one of the last places on Earth where ancient tribal traditions dating back 40,000 years are still maintained, Papua New Guinea is home to over 7,000 different cultural groups.
Intrepid travelers can venture into the jungle-clad hills of our Pacific neighbors to witness the diverse practices, including unique dance, music, and costume expression.
In the western highlands, the annual Mount Hagen ‘sing-sing’ festival brings together tribes to celebrate their traditions, with locals dressing up in their finest costumes, including body paints, grass skirts, shell, and animal teeth necklaces, and headdresses made from bird of paradise feathers.
The Chimbu clan warriors are painted up as skeletons, a legacy from when they wanted to scare their enemies. Now tribes are working together to develop rustic eco-accommodations in the hope of fostering sensitive cultural tourism and retaining cultural traditions into the 21st century.
The few photographers and amateur anthropologists who make it into the remote rainforest villages are discovering that there’s more than just being a passive spectator.
