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| The Korowai are totally
dependent on their environment and in the morning men and women go into the jungle to collect sago, sago grubs, local vegetables and fish and they hunt for wild pigs, cassowary and cockatoos. Stone axes, bone tools and bow and arrows are used daily. They keep pigs wich function as objects of exchange and dogs for company and hunting The women wear sago leaf skirts and the Korowai men are naked with just a leaf around their penis. The Korowai Batu use nutshells to cover their penis which is also seen in the Kopkaga tribe. The Kombai use the leaf but some clans use a beak of a Hornbill bird to guard their penis and koteka's are also used by some Kombai clans. Many bodies are decorated with flying fox and pig bones and necklaces of dog teeth are extremely valuable. The area can be reached by boat from Agats, |
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| Asmat area to Yaniruma or direct by charter plane from Sentani or Wamena to Yaniruma, Wanggemalo or Siridala. Visiting each clan takes a 4 to 6 hour walk. The area in between the villages is completely swampy, hot and humid. Visiting this area means that you have to adapt to jungle camp conditions. Accomodation at night can be a local hut or treehouse, sometimes an abandoned village or jungle camp. Trekking through the most pristine lowland rainforest to observe wildlife and visit local clans for a few days. There you can harvest sago grubs, process sago, and build fish traps and learn the korowai's excellent hunting and fishing skills. At night, hang with some of the most isolated people of the world in their treehouse while cockatoos and parrots pass by. These people really live in a stone age culture totally isolated in the rainforest surviving with their traditional skills. |
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