Women Crocodile in Papua New Guinea World Curiosities
- 7 years ago
North of New Guinea runs the Sepik river full of crocodiles. Today is a very special day, women and men dance around tambaranes, crocodile-shaped bamboo buildings, the creator of heaven and earth to these tribes. This party looks like a festival. The women are not allowed to enter.
The tambaran is a kind of structure usually located in the middle of a village, far from the water when the river overflows its banks. The drawings and decorations represent gods, prophecies, and scenes from daily life.
Tambarans are built out of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves. Also known as boat-houses, they are inhabited by important spirits and village life revolves around them.
Their shape is very reminiscent of a crocodile on the Sepik.
Inside the tambaran men call upon the spirits with ritual music and magic.
It seems that this is a special day… Saint Croc perhaps? The men have put on their best traditional clothes to invoke the presence of their gods.
The tambaran is exclusively for men. No women or uninitiated males are allowed to enter.
They dance around the tambaran to call upon their protective deities.
A real place of worship to a fearsome man-eater. To these people the Sepik crocodile is the creator of heaven and earth.
The tambaran is a kind of structure usually located in the middle of a village, far from the water when the river overflows its banks. The drawings and decorations represent gods, prophecies, and scenes from daily life.
Tambarans are built out of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves. Also known as boat-houses, they are inhabited by important spirits and village life revolves around them.
Their shape is very reminiscent of a crocodile on the Sepik.
Inside the tambaran men call upon the spirits with ritual music and magic.
It seems that this is a special day… Saint Croc perhaps? The men have put on their best traditional clothes to invoke the presence of their gods.
The tambaran is exclusively for men. No women or uninitiated males are allowed to enter.
They dance around the tambaran to call upon their protective deities.
A real place of worship to a fearsome man-eater. To these people the Sepik crocodile is the creator of heaven and earth.