Becoming a Man
- The Huli tribe has one of the most unique processes in which a boy becomes a man
- Boys first live with their mother until they are 8
- They then live with their father to learn to become men
- At 15, they go to a special bachelor school where they are taught the rituals and biological processes of becoming a man
- during this time any contact with woman (including their mother) is forbidden
The Huli Tribe: Papua New Guinea
By: Mary O'Melia
Threats to the Huli Tribe
- Since agriculture is such a big part of their food supply, flooding and crop damage is a great threat
- Their rainforest being cut down for wood for various big companies is also a danger which causes:
- less wild animals for them to hunt
- less grass used to build their shelter
- Reasons why to preserve the New Guinea rainforest the Huli tribe inhabits
Headdresses and Wigs
- Towards the end of the boy's transition, his hair is cut and stitched into a traditional wig by the village wig master
- the wig is decorated with parrot feathers, dyes made from charcoal, red clay and pig fat
The Importance of Hair
- A boy's ability to grow his hair is a very important for his transition into a man
- During their bachelor schooling, their hair is sprinkled three times a day in order for it to grow quickly
- it is sprinkled with holy water combined with magic and spells
- As the hair grows it is shaped by bamboo bands
Cannot Forgive and Forget
- Regional authorities once held a peace ceremony to end a huge dispute
- started with a stray pig eating another villagers crops
- led to two warriors killing each other with spears
- eventually leading to one village slaughtering another
- The Huli also use sacred yellow clay (ambua) as body decoration and when combined with bright red clay as a way to intimidate rival groups
Violent Lifestyle
- The Huli choose a life of vengeance and warfare rather than peace and settlement
- Have a "payback" system
- where the punishment is worse than the original wrongdoing
- Most Huli wars originate from a personal dispute between individuals
Food/Shelter
- Gardening and hunting are the most important things to the Huli tribe
- Diet consists of yams, manioc, village raised pigs, wild cassowary, tree kangaroos, and cuscus
- Live in round grass huts with fences around them to keep their pigs
- To stay warm during cold mountainous weather, villagers cover their bodies with pig-fat grease and ash
Who are the Huli?
Huli Culture and Tradition
- The Huli tribe uses pigs as their form of wealth and currency
- also a common exchange used for a bride's dowry
Clothing
- Women wear grass skirts
- Men wear a koteka (garment worn to cover groin), an apron around their waist going past the knees, and ceremonial headdresses
- They live in the Tari Basin of Papua New Guinea
- one of the largest cultural groups in the area
- population is around 90,000 people
Language
- primarily speak "Huli" and Tok Pisin
- some words in Huli include "Ha'a, agua pe?"
- Ha'a: a general greeting
- agua pe? : an informal "how are you"
- Tok Pisin is a combination between English, German and indigenous Melanesian languages