On August 8th, 2023, I had the pleasure of traveling to Papua New Guinea. This adventure was undoubtedly different from my prior travels, as Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a place unlike any other. The culture, the tribes and the vibe are all unique. I spent just over three weeks in this country having some amazing experiences and learning as much as I possibly could about this largely ignored culture.
I documented my travels throughout the country in six separate posts, preceded by a post on the history of the nation. You can see Papua New Guinea through my eyes by perusing the posts in the carousel below.
Papua New Guinea inspired me to introduce a new section to my travel blog. Cultural Snapshots will be where I will delve a bit further into certain aspects of the cultures I have encountered during my travels. I hope to provide my readers with a deeper look and first-hand knowledge that you simply cannot get from search engines.
In this Cultural Snapshot, I will be introducing you to the Asaro Mudmen of Papua New Guinea.
Asaro / Holosa Tribe
The Asaro, also known as the Holosa tribe, inhabit the Daulo District in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. While no accurate count exists, their population is estimated to be 45,000 people. The majority of Holosa speak a language called Dano, as well as Tok Pisin, the lingua franca throughout Papua New Guinea. This tribe is renowned for their unique ceremonial masks called Holosas worn by the “Mudmen”, as well as their unique traditional performances.
The word Holosa means “spirit” or “ghost”.
There is no definitive account of when the Asaro began using masks but I encountered four different versions of its origin.
The Legends
Version one:
Historians believe this practice dates back to early 1800. The Asaro historically never fell under the leadership of a chief, instead they have always had a chairman. Reportedly, a distant male ancestor of the current chairman, named Bakiro Pote, relocated from Kabiufa to the Watabung area of the Highlands. In Watabung, he learned the practice of bakime. Bakime operates under the premise that to take revenge on an enemy without obscuring one’s identity would be unwise as that person could then retaliate.
In order to avoid being recognized, the people of the Watabung area would cover their faces with the white sap of the meniha tree. Thus, exact ing their revenge under the cover of anonymity.
When Bakiro Pote returned to his village, he transformed bakime into what he called girituwai. Girituwai was only used when plotting an assassination and abandoned the use of white sap in favor of masks constructed from bamboo and bilum (the same ubiquitous bilum string bags used today). Legend has it that Bakiro, and his brother Didiso, had many exploits under the guise of girituwai.
Version two:
The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) published a piece called Behind the Masks providing an alternate account. Their story suggests the custom began when an Asaro man was invited to a wedding where everyone wore traditional costumes. As he didn’t have one, he decided to fashion his own costume. He coated his body in mud and crafted a using a bilum (a traditional woven bag) and clay. When he arrived at the wedding, his friends mistook him for a ghost and fled.
Version three:
Now, if you ask any locals how the Mudmen came to be, you will likely be treated to the legend of a time when the Asaro were at war with a fellow tribe. According to the story, the Asaro people lost their lands after a series of fierce battles with their neighbors. Forced to inhabit less fertile lands in the Eastern Highlands mountains, the people struggled to survive. After decades of trying to eke out a living on the less arable land, the Asaro warriors decide it was time to reclaim their land. Severely outnumbered, they were forced to retreat to a mud-soaked riverbank where they became covered in pale, sunbaked mud. When the enemy discovered them on the riverbank, they believed they were the spirits of the warriors killed in battle. Deathly afraid of ghosts and spirits, the men fled in a panic.
Realizing what had happened, the Asaro used this to their advantage. Since they believed the water of the Asaro River was poisonous, they did not cover their faces in mud, instead they used rocks, sticks, and whatever they could find to create simple masks. The ghoulish gray color of their mud-caked bodies plus the newfound masks instilled even more fear in their enemy. Thereafter, the peaceful Asaro gained a reputation for being fierce warriors, meanwhile, nothing could have been further from the truth.
Many tribal people smeared mud on their bodies in preparation FOR battle, the Asaro tribe wore it to AVOID battle. Their prowess as warriors has since been inflated, but their only real tactical advantage is their scary appearance. If you can generate fear, you do not have to go to war – smart.
Version four:
A paper published in 1996 titled The Asaro Mudmen: Local Property, Public Culture? by Danish anthropologists Ton Otto and Robert J. Verloop traces the current costume back to more recent times. They claim it was invented by villagers from the Asaro Valley when asked to participate in the first Eastern Highlands Agricultural Show held in 1957. They do, however, agree that the concept was based on the traditional practice of bakime. Bakime is a practice where a warrior would disguise himself using tree sap, mud or clay before carrying out a raid or assassination in order to prevent being identified.
It is said that two hundred disguised Asaro marched into the show terrifying the spectators and winning first place in the show. Their ensuing march into town afterward terrified the villagers who were sure they had seen “ghosts”. Their costumes were so frightening one of the competing tribes, the Ifi Yufa, made up a song about them. The song describes the fear they felt when they first saw the “holosa”. Holosa means ghosts in the Asaro language.
The Role of Charcoal, Clay and Mud
It is a common Highland practice to cover one’s entire body with charcoal to look more frightening for battle, or to smear oneself with clay or mud as an expression of grief. In the past, Mount Hagen warriors would return to battle covered in orange and yellow mourning clay to avenge the death of their comrades. It was also believed that the mud used to cover their bodies possessed magical properties and protected the wearer from harm.
Current Costumes
The masks have undergone numerous changes over the years. In the early seventies, the bamboo and bilum frame was swapped for the smoothed root of a banana tree. As digging up and smoothing out banana roots was a timely endeavor, this method was duly abandoned in the late seventies in favor of clay masks.
Today, the Mudmen don sun-dried masks with exaggerated features – pointed ears and brows, drooping tongues and pig bones piercing the nose. No two Papua New Guinea masks are alike. They are designed according to the creativity of the maker with the intent being to strike fear into one’s opponent.
The Process
They are sun-dried and the process takes several days resulting in a surprisingly heavy helmet styled headdress. I got the chance to chat with one of the performers at the Hagen Festival and he motioned to me that I should feel the weight of his mask. As I held it with both hands, I was surprised to note that it weighed upwards of 20-25 pounds. In addition tot the weight, it measured a stifling two centimeters thick all around.
The rich, gooey clay is extracted from local creeks and brough to an expert mask maker. In the hands of the expert, the clay is inspected and all impurities removed. It is then rolled into small balls, which are formed into rings. The rings are stacked on each other, and smoothed inside and out by hand until they take the shape of an oval-shaped head. Grotesque and exaggerated eye sockets are formed then the ears and nose are affixed to the sides and front. The gaping mouth sometimes features a protruding gray tongue and a row of pigs’ teeth. The nose may have a pig tusk traversing the septum area. The forehead and cheeks may be tattooed or patterned.
The rest of their ceremonial dress consists of pointed shards of bamboo which are placed on the fingers to act as claws and make a clicking sound. Grasses and leaves are used to cover their genitals. Bows and arrows and an occasional spear are their typical “weapons”.
The Performance
Like their attire, the Mudmen’s performance is quite unique. Similar to the Skeleton Men, the Asaro do not make music, chant or dance in the traditional sense. They are excellent storytellers who perform in total silence and move slowly miming their tales in elaborate charades.
Their movements are purposely slow and ghost-like. The pace symbolizing the performers moving about on broken, brittle, decomposing bones. They particularly enjoy the element of revenge as they “stalk” their prey, aiming at them with their bows and arrows. In the past, each performer used to carry leaves or palm fronds to swat away imaginary flies feeding on their rotting flesh.
Not much else is known about the Asaro but I was able to glean the following information from various sources and through observations and conversations while I was there.
Society
The Asaro live in small communities close to Goroka, near the Asaro River from which their name is derived. Many of the villagers still live simple, traditional lifestyles. Due to their isolated locations, the tribes speak different dialects. The Asaro speak Dano, which is part of the Kainantu-Goruka language family. This dialect is only found in small sections of Papua New Guinea.
The Asaro are renowned for their skill in cultivating sweet potatoes, which are a staple food in their diet. They have a deep understanding of the soil, weather patterns, and the needs of the different varieties. This knowledge allows them to produce larger and larger harvests each year. They have a profound respect for nature and the land and believe that the spirits of their ancestors reside with them, and in their gardens.
Traditions
Traditional earthen ovens called “mumus” are constructed in the ground using wood, heated stones and banana leaves. Corn, yams, potatoes, greens, chicken or pork are cooked together on the leaves. Unlike the mumu I attended with the Kalam people, the Asaro layered wood into the pit followed by heated stones. (The Kalam pre-heat the stones then transport them to the pit). As the wood burns, the heated rocks fall to the bottom of the pit. The meat and vegetables which have been placed in bundles of woven leaves or bamboo tubes are then placed on top of the heated rocks to cook.
Matrimony
According to tradition, the family of the male has to pay the family of the female a bride-price. This payment can be in the form of currency, crops, livestock or gifts. The bride has the responsibility of taking care of not only the groom but also the groom’s family.
Religion
The vast majority of the Asaro people profess to be practicing Protestants. The vast majority of this population believes in a form of religion that mixes elements of Protestantism with belief in the presence of supernatural beings. These beings commonly live in nature such as rainforests, rivers or caves and have the ability to interfere at will in the lives of humans. Tributes or special gifts are made to these supernatural beings in exchange for protection from misfortune.
The Spirit World
Spirits are divided into three groups: the Dama, the Dimini, and the Tomia. (I discussed a bit of these distinct groups in my post on the Huli Wigmen dated January 18th. The Dama are spiritual beings, the Dimini are the spirits of departed ancestors, and the Tomia are spirits who reside in objects or talismans.
Puri Puri Ceremony
In a ceremony known as Puri Puri, which takes place at night, it is believed that sorcerers, known simply as Puri Puri Men cast spells inflicting misfortune, illness or even death against others.
The word Puri Puri literally translates to “black magic” in the Motu language.
The Puri Puri Men administer their spells by chewing special roots and leaves from the rainforest with betel nut then blowing the concoction from their mouths in a kind of mist.
Puri Puri has three levels ranging from common to specialized. The common level involves local villagers where everyone is familiar with which plants are used to treat common ailments. The next level consists of dedicated Puri Puri men who possess specialized expertise, such as traditional medicine or the ability to predict weather conditions. The third level is secret, highly guarded and specialized and is only performed by the village elders. This level specializes in two areas – advanced medical problems and dealing with corrupt or problematic personalities in the village. Not only can the “specialist” administer spells, they are also skilled at counteracting a spell or poison.
Next Post: The Kalam Tribe
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