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.
My travels throughout this amazing country are documented in six separate posts. 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 Baining people of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
The Baining People
For this next profile, we have to travel away from mainland Papua New Guinea to East New Britain province. East New Britain is part of the Gazelle Peninsula and consists of the north-eastern part of the island of New Britain and the Duke of York Islands. East New Britain covers a total land area of 6,107 square miles and, as of the 2,000 census, has an estimated population of 220,133.
The capital of East New Britain is Kokopo, which replaced the former capital, Rabaul. Rabaul was largely destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1994, necessitating the move. Approximately an hour’s drive from Kokopo, lies the village of Gaulim, home to the intriguing Baining people.
The Baining, whose name is derived from the Bainin mountains where they live, are believed to be the original inhabitants of the peninsula. Another tribe, the Tolai people, are thought to have subsequently migrated to East New Britain from New Ireland. Conflicts between the two tribes ended with the Tolai gravitating toward the more amenable coastal areas forcing the Baining to retreat to the safety of the mountains. Hence, their Tolai nickname “the bush people.” This inland migration of the Baining may have been further predicated by the extensive volcanic activity around the former capital, Rabaul.
Language
Linguistically, the Baining speak different languages from the Tolai and Pomio people who share the same province. The Baining language family consists of six languages: Kairak, Makolkol (extinct), Mali, Qaqet, Simbali, and Ura.
Lifestyle & Customs
Colonial administrators forced the tribe into villages disrupting their semi-nomadic lifestyle, but their farming practices remained largely unchanged. The Baining are slash and burn growers, and their main traditional crop is taro. The taro plague of 1957 resulted in the replacement of most taro crops with Singap or Concon Taro. Attempts to introduce bananas, beans, and other staple crops were resisted, but a variety of other vegetables are also grown alongside taro. Garden plots are often located some distance from the village.
Ethnologists note that, like Samoans, the Baining culture places little emphasis on things highly valued in the West. Individualism and emotional expression are virtually unheard of here. The Baining have a very work oriented culture focused not on the interests of the individual but of the community. This culture is rumored to manifest in their encouraging children to grow up faster and shy away from normal childhood activities, such as playing. It was even thought that children were punished for engaging in activities that were not deemed fruitful. This rumor, however, has been strongly denied by the villagers. This supposed characteristic has led to the belief that the Baining are very primitive and have a puritanical culture that focuses only on practical work, lacking religious or artistic expression. I found this rumor odd considering my experience with the Baining culture.
Baining Fire Dance
While they live an otherwise quiet, unremarkable lifestyle, the Baining people are famous for one thing – The Fire Dance. Fire dances were originally performed to mark a celebratory event. The birth of a child, the commencement of the harvest or remembrance of the dead were the most common instances. The dance originated in the north where it was called Atut but was later adopted in the central and southern parts of the country where the Baining reside.
This dangerous activity involves “Spirit Men” dancing into and out of a fire accompanied by music made with unexpected “instruments”. As the music increases in intensity, the dancing becomes more frenzied and trance-like.
The Dancers
The “Spirit Men” wear elaborate animal masks, grasses, and leaves, but not much else. Taking their cues from the music, the men dance around and through the flames of a bonfire. Yes, you read that correctly, through. They run and stomp in their bare feet through the flames, kicking up hot coals. The airborne embers symbolizing a volcanic eruption. This nighttime ritual is performed on special occasions or as a rite of passage to initiate young men into adulthood.
The Masks
The large masks, called “Kavat”, are several times the size of the dancer’s head. Although large, the masks are relatively lightweight (definitely compared to the Asaro Mudmen’s masks). Painstakingly crafted from pounded white bark cloth or tapa stretched over bamboo and reed frameworks, the masks are only used once in a fire dance ritual before being discarded or destroyed. Young males learn to make the masks as part of their initiation into adulthood. Those deemed the most talented at designing become the manufacturers of masks used for major celebrations.
The masks represent the spirits of different animals and plants found in the forest. Most feature giant, startled looking round eyes and a broad-billed mouth similar to the bill of a duck. They are painted with red and black natural colors created from tree sap and berries. A dangling appendage resembling a round wattle covers the throat and chest area and a bark cloth round phallocrypt covers the genitals.
The Experience
Following a bumpy, dirt road just after sunset, we arrived at a clearing nestled in the mountains of Gaulim. Upon disembarking our van, our noses were assaulted by the smell of burning wood and grasses. The crackle and pop of the flames as they engulfed the firewood added to the anticipation of what we were about to see.
The Music
As the flames grew higher, a group of village elders seated on the edge of the dance area acted as the “orchestra”. Much like a formal concert, they signaled the start of the performance. They began a low chant accented by a beat made by striking bamboo poles against logs. Our guide, Mark, encouraged us not to get so mesmerized by the dance that we missed the beauty of the music. He was absolutely correct – it was hard to believe the melodies we were hearing were made with just voices and materials taken from the forest.
The Ceremonial Costumes
Suddenly, a shamanic-looking man in a conical hat, called “Lingenka”, appeared at the edge of the clearing. He had an almost Seussical look to him with his conical hat topped with a heart and a spire. The spire measured over a meter high and was adorned with feathers resembling the plumage of the bird of paradise.
His visage was carefully hidden behind a fringe of pandanus leaves arranged around the inside brim of the hat. Black paint covered his torso and upper thighs, while his arms and legs were painted white. His calves were decorated with a shaft of leaves secured just below his knees and at the ankles. Across his shoulders was a type of cape fashioned out of leaves that swayed and twirled as he danced frantically leading the other “spirits” in the performance.
The Performance
One by one each performer entered the clearing and performed his dance for one complete verse of the song chanted by the Elders. After performing, they retreated to the shadows at the edge of the fire circle. They they danced in place with the leader until all the performers had completed their round. Once they had all completed their introductory dances, the real fun began as they all danced and jumped around the fire to the frenetic beat of the bamboo poles.
The identities of the “Spirit Men” are carefully guarded. We witnessed a few men being suddenly whisked away into the shadows. When I inquired what happened they explained that the man’s identity had been compromised. Translation: either he had a wardrobe malfunction or possibly had been injured kicking the fire.
As the men jumped and danced, they frequently kicked at the embers and smoldering wood sending showers of sparks flying into the air and singeing parts of their costumes. What’s even more impressive is they danced around and into the fire with their bare feet.
Symbolism
The white bark cloth of the masks is painted with black pigment to create a negative image, with red used as an outline color. In contrast to the color symbolism of the Highlands, the red pigment here represents masculinity. The color red is also connected to the flames of the fire, the flowing of blood in hunting and war and ritual self-sacrifice. The performers believe that spitting blood on the masks activates the spirits. In the past, performers pierced their tongues to that end prior to performing. According to legend, performers are possessed by anthropomorphic animal spirits or Masaray, which enhance the dancer’s masculinity during the ritual dance.
Contrast with the Highlands
In East New Britain, black represents femininity, again, in contrast to the Highlands where the color represents male solidarity. Black is associated with the ash of the hearth and the richness of the soil, the muddy, wet places where powerful spirits are believed to reside. The white of the bark cloth represents the color of the spirits.
Unlike most Papuans, the Baining people have a deep aversion to the forest. They view it as a wild, dangerous and chaotic realm that must be tamed. In the Fire Dance, the masked dancers represent the spirits of the forest, while the male orchestra represents civilization. Symbolically, the dancers or spirits wreak havoc throughout the night and are then “chased” back into the forest at sunrise by the orchestra or civilized man.
The fire dance is a men-only event, traditionally not attended or watched by Baining women or children. In fact, women and girls are forbidden from even touching the masks. However, there is a night ritual performed by the women to “cool” the main ceremonial grounds before a Fire Dance.
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