A Pride of A Tribe : Bird of Paradise

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Wednesday, 17 August 2016

Exotic Mount Hagen Cultural Show 2016 - The cultural diversity you find here at the festival is never to be found elsewhere in the world

PAPUA New Guinea (PNG) is culturally diverse. There are many cultural festivals in PNG and many more cultural groups - almost closer to the number of documented different languages, about 841. Cultural heritage has been passed on from generation to generation through a word of month. There’s no better way to experience the array of tribal cultures that PNG has to offer than at the Mt. Hagen Cultural Show.

During the third weekend in the month of August every year, Mt. Hagen hosts the popular Mt. Hagen Cultural Show, one of the largest singsings (tribal gatherings) in Papua New Guinea. Up to more than 100 tribes attend this event where they peacefully share their cultural traditions through costume, dancing and music.

Disguised in anthropomorphic body paint, clad in elaborate headdresses, jewelry made of shells and boars’ tusks and skirts made from leaves and fur, the groups perform their primal dances; the tribe that garners the most applause and biggest reaction from the crowd wins.

The first Mt. Hagen Cultural Show was staged in 1964, while PNG was still under the colonial rule of Australia. Many different tribes from the Highlands gathered together in an effort to share their cultural experiences with each other, bringing a calming effect to inter-tribal conflicts and animosities.

Disguised in anthropomorphic body paint, clad in elaborate headdresses, jewelry made of shells and boars’ tusks and skirts made from leaves and fur, the groups perform their primal dances; the tribe that garners the most applause and biggest reaction from the crowd wins. It is, to say the least, a photo op.

Since the first show, there have of course been technological advancements, political developments, and major paradigm shifts; namely, PNG’s independence from Australia in 1975. Mount Hagen has boomed in the past 40 years, and is now the third largest city in PNG.

While the tribal focus of the show remains the same, the event has been made more tourist-friendly. A mix of tribal traditions and modern entertainment are designed to attract international and domestic travelers, and there is now a monetary prize for the winning cultural group. This ensures that the singsings are a colorful, competitive affair, with performers drumming, chanting and dancing at a pace that leaves even the audience breathless.

Costumes and performances are, of course, not arbitrary. Each tribe has its own legend and lore that it conveys through masks, face paint and dance. One crowd-favorite is the Asaro Mudman orgnates from Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province. Legend says that long ago, while being pursued by an enemy tribe, the Asaro submerged themselves in the Asaro River. Finally, at dusk, the Asaro dared to emerge from the water. Seeing them rise from the banks, covered in mud, the enemy tribe mistook them for spirits and fled in fear, leaving the Asaro to escape to safety.

For this year (2016), its on 20th - 21st August at Rabiamul Oval. The first sponsor contributed so far are SP Brewery (PNG Beer Company) and Digicel PNG, each contributing K10,000 each.