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Enga Woman
High in the rugged mountains of Papua New Guinea, Engan people practice age-old cultural traditions.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a rugged land of steep, jungle-clad mountains and fast-flowing rivers. The impenetrable terrain has not only cut the interior of the country off from outsiders, but has segmented the local population as well. PNG is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse countries, with over a thousand tribal clans across its 22 provinces, and more than 850 indigenous languages being spoken.
The highest and one of the most rugged of PNG’s provinces is Enga, which sits in the north-most region of the Central Range or Central Cordillera. Unknown to outsiders until 1934 when gold prospectors made forays into their territory, even other Highlanders call Engans ‘mountain people’! But the province is also unique in that it has only one major linguistic and ethnic group, making Enga speakers (approximately 300,000 people) the largest single native-language group in the country.
Like many of the Highland tribes, the Engans have a long history of inter-clan tribal fighting. In the 1850s, Engan leaders developed a system of ritual gift (often pigs) exchange called tee to reduce the violence. “Tee” means “to ask for” in the Enga language, and the Tee ceremonies create exchange networks and allow bigmen (chiefs) to show off their influence and wealth.
The easiest way to meet and mix with representatives of PNGs many tribal people and to get a small taste of their traditions of dress and customs is to attend a sing sing – a gathering of tribal groups to share culture, dance, and music. I was at the Paiya Village Mini Cultural Show in the Western Highlands Province with photographer Karl Grobl from Jim Cline Photo Tours and a small group of photography enthusiasts.
A group of young women (the men weren’t attending) had come to the festival from Enga, the province next door, to share their suli muli dance. This ‘dance’, which involves jumping up and down, beating their kundu drums, and singing “suli muli”, has become synonymous with ‘Engan‘ as a tribal identifier.
I particularly enjoyed spending time with these engaging young women, and ‘chatting’ with them even though we had no shared language.
Join me!
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Through the Crops
These Highland mountains are fertile; we walk past tidy crop rows on our way to the fair grounds.
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Engan Women
At the top of a hill, I meet a group of young Engan women who are in the process of getting ready for the sing sing.
Engan Tattoos
Facial tattooing is common among Engan women. The black around the eyes is paint, reserved for special occasions.
Engan Woman in a Woollen Cap
I am staggered by how many people in the tropics wear woollen hats! Not all the women are dancing; …
Getting Ready
… a number of helpers are along to help to complete the preparations. Those wonderful giant hats are made of moss and plant fibres.
With her Drum
All the women have their kundu – drums.
With their Kundu
… which they use to accompany their rhythmic jumping-dance.
Enga Woman
These young women were bright and engaging; …
Enga Women
… we managed lengthy conversations – without the benefit of a common language!
In a Dark Cottage …
The buildings around the property don’t have electricity; inside one, more Engan women are getting ready for their performance.
Animal Pen
Child in Pink
The children local to the village hang about to watch the proceedings.
Engan Dancers
The women get together for an impromptu demonstration of the suli muli.
Suli Muli
When they perform on the festival grounds, they are in their full costuming, …
Engan Dancers
… complete with tall bird of paradise feathers in their hats …
Engan Woman in Body Paint
… and a lumpy body-coating made from clay, mud, plant oil, and pig fat.
Engan Dance Troupe
They circle the festival grounds several times before breaking off into social groups.
Proud Profile
Two Young Engan Women
Last Word …
It turns out that my principle contact was also the last photo I took of the Engan women at the festival.
They were a joy to meet and photograph.
Until next time,
Keep Smiling!
Photographs: 18August2017
In Enga, man has his own ways of dressing in traditional attires while woman has her own ways of dressing in traditional attires. But these women are dividing into two. The mixture of tradition dressing for both male and female. Half men’s dressing (head/top) and half women’s dressing (hips or bottom). This does not look like Engans. Mixing up altogether.
Hi Kupu,
Thanks for your visit. These women were quite passionate about their roots, and I was happy to talk with them about this.
Cheers, Ursula
My brother, Kapu K Waiakane.
Which part of Enga Province are you from??
You insane! These women are from West Part of Enga. They are wearing round hats because it’s part of our culture, not all women dress with cascas skin on their head. They either can dress in both ways they want to. I hope and believe you’re from another Province!
Hi Kaistar!
Thanks for taking the time to clear that up! I could only go on what the women told me. 🙂
Engans full traditional dressing