Abelam’s spirits houses, gods and yams (Maprik, PNG)
Gods, heroes, ritual artwork, ceremonies, spirits’ houses, taboos, local pride and, recently, demands for governmental funding are revolving around the yam, the staple food of the Abelams, and their trade-good...
Mamas’ Life skills training in Tongujamb (Sepik River, PNG)
Responding to the requests of the women from the Blek Wara (a wetland area) close to Washkuk Hill, on the Middle Sepik course, the heads of the communities organized a...
Pukpuk – crocodile hunters on Sepik River (West Sepik, PNG)
Manu, a young guy from the family I lived with, and his father were hunting and trading crocodile skins. The money, sometimes the only income in the community, was used...
Fish basket (Sepik River, PNG)
In 2015, the dry season came earlier on the Middle Sepik. The drought shrank the wide, dark water lakes to small ponds, and narrowed the channels that connect the inland...
In the swamp (West Sepik, PNG)
During the weeks I spent with the people from West Sepik villages, I joined them in the swamps, to catch fish.Armed with baskets made of bush-ropes, cane spears, fishing nets...
West Sepik to Vanimo (PNG)
On the Sepik bank, the Abau people, from Baio, were watching the boats passing by, trying to seize their cargo and guess where they were coming from. This bustling activity...
To the Ama Mountain people (May River, PNG)
If you want to find remote communities you must go upstream, to Ama Mountain or to Iteli.
Where is that?
Somewhere between May and Sepik Rivers, in the upper Sepik...
Singsing in Purkunawi, with Kwoma people and Michael Somare (Sepik River)
Most of the singsing groups were from the Kwoma communities, where the tambaran (spirits or cult house) and singsing are still alive...
Spirits’ houses and Kwoma people, (Sepik River)
The Kowmas are among the very few ethnic groups along the Middle Sepik course, that continues the tradition of tambaran and singsing (ceremony) after the missionaries’ assault. The tambaran is...
Vanimo to Sepik River (Papua New Guinea)
In Ambunti I was introduced to community elders from the Kwoma clans, who took me into the fantastic world of Sepik mythology. I met indigenous artists, saw churches featuring tribal-cult-houses...
At the Korowai, in treetop houses (Papua, Indonesia)
Three weeks at the Korowai, a tribe living in the forests of New Guinea Island. We arrived there without much information and planned to cross their territories finding our way...
Surabaya to Koroway (Java to Papua)
In June 2012 I embarked on a ship to Papua, aiming to find the Korowai, a tribe living between the rivers flowing south of the Maoke Mountains...