PAPUA

THE HIGHLANDS
Mount Hagen Sing-sing Annual Cultural Festival
Arriving at the capital of Port Moresby I then travelled by air to Mount Hagen, the commercial
and administrative capital of the Western Highlands. Here, at an altitude of approximately 1,500
metres in the beautiful Waghi valley, is the first settlement that came into contact with the Western
world and which was incorporated into the international community in 1930. I should note here
that all my journeys within New Guinea were done by sea or in small aircrafts, as there is as yet no
decent road network. The country’s capital is not connected by road to any other town or village;
all roads end at its outskirts thus creating a profound feeling of exclusion as well as anticipation for
what exists out there.
The small single-engine plane had only eight places and the seats of an old bus. It flew over
the dense vegetation of New Guinea at a low altitude, offering an impressive view of the jungle
and the never-ending mountain ranges. But, some strange sounds that could be heard from all
around, the age of the pilot, who was no older than twenty five and the news that a similar aircraft
had fallen a few hours earlier with the loss of twelve lives, made me fell unsafe, especially when
the young pilot attempted to assure me that I had nothing to be frightened of as our plane was
“very strong” and had not had any serious breakdowns since 1970! I thought to myself that since
this festival is considered one of the 1000 places to see before you die then it was worth the risk. In
the end everything went fine, on this flight and on the many subsequent flights. I really did enjoy
the unique experience of the small airports, the conversations with the pilots without any barrier
between us as well as the landings on the small muddy airstrips where the natives welcomed us
enthusiastically. Because technology is unfamiliar to them they are still impressed by aeroplanes
and helicopters, and treat them with a sense of awe and wonder, representing them as birds or fish
with a marvellous colourful polyphony. One cannot but be moved by the way in which they paint
them in their folk art, by the unbelievable innocence and childish surprise that impregnate their
every colourful image.
It is very difficult for one to describe the intensity of the great annual festival: Thousands of
representatives from over 150 tribes from every corner of the island gather for a stunning event
in which intense colour, flamboyant costumes, esoteric dances and their percussion music play
the lead roles. The tickets for entering the festival site are exorbitant, unattainable for most of the
population, which is obliged to remain on the other side of the event walls. Only tourists and a
few important members of the local society are permitted to watch the Sing-sing, this multiethnic
carnival, this impressive display, from up close. The warriors pay particular attention to how they
paint their faces in the special colours and motifs of each tribe. Delicate, precise lines are drawn on
the skin with thin sticks of wood which they use like a painter’s brush. Every action here takes on a
ritual character and is performed slowly and very carefully. The colours are made from plant pollen
mixed with water or saliva and each warrior paints his own face except for the final brushstrokes,
which are done by a fellow warrior.
Finally, the insertion of colourful plumes into their caps is for the residents of the Highlands
a true art form. Each tribe associates qualities such as bravery, dedication, perceptiveness, etc.
with specific birds, the plumes of which are used as decoration, thus extolling and, to a degree,
appropriating these qualities. All these colourful masses, adorned with the plumes of birds of
paradise and shells from the Pacific Ocean, the faces painted in yellow or red, the pagan masks, the
weapons that clank threateningly and the war cries, fill the festival space so suffocating, right to the
edges, that you imagine there will be an explosion of civilisation and history.
In reality, the event was begun by the first Australian colonialists in their attempt to limit the
permanent conflicts between the tribes, giving them the opportunity to meet within a peaceful
context of rivalry and gentle competition. Soon thousands of participants began to compete
annually for cash prizes. Until recently, and despite the wishful thinking of the organisers, the
Member of the Huli tribe
Sing-sing festival Women of Asamuga tribe Head decoration with one leaf
Face painting
Mud men dancing
Local airport
Αναπαράσταση κηδείας