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| The Korowai and Kombai The Korowai and Kombai tribes inhabit the lowland rainforests of south-central Papua and are not that open and welcoming to tourists as the Dani and the Yali. The Korowai Batu and Kopkaga are the more "deeper" or isolated Korowai tribes and are more territorial and reject contact with missionaries and neighboring tribes. The discovery of the Korowai tribe by the outside world was just 30 years ago. The Korowai and Kombai tribes used to be cannibalistic tribes. The majority of the Korowai and Kombai clans still live on their original ancestral territories isolated in the rainforest, following their traditions. A clan territory contains one to five treehouses, the average village has two or three families, their treehouses go from 6 to 25 meters up and protects them from heat, insects, evil forest spirits and enemies. |
In times of tribal conflicts the treehouses can
go up to 50 meters high. Interclan warfare occurs mainly because of
witchcraft and sorcery related conflicts. The Korowai's animist world
is full with all kinds of spirits. They have an extraordinary and rich
oral tradition of myths and folktales. They respect death and
afterlife and believe in reincarnation. Their tradition is full of
fascinating rituals like the sago feast which is a ritual to stimulate
prosperity and fertility. |