The Karawari River runs through East Sepik Province in Papua New Guineaa country that shares its territory on an island next to Indonesia, north of the extensive area of Australia. The river winds its way through the lowland tropical rainforest, harboring biodiversity that includes an immense variety of flora and fauna. The human being is also one of its inhabitants, adapting to what nature gives him, to a large extent, and demands much more of him. Villages multiply on the banks of the Karawari. Each one offers traits of a general culture but also an incredible individuality that distinguishes them. To such an extent that it is estimated that around 850 different languages are spoken throughout the area.
The boat with which we navigate the river moves slowly and allows us to observe and be observed from both sides of the mighty watercourse. As we move away from our starting point, each time we glimpse a hamlet, they look at us with more curiosity, until finally we point our bow towards the shore, eager to make contact with the natives. We set our feet on solid ground, we are in a village located some distance from the lodge where we are staying, the Kundiman Village. At first glance, the houses raised on stilts built with logs reveal to us that in the rainy season, between October and April, the Karawari can significantly raise your level.
Why did we stop at Kundiman Village? From the boat we see that in one of the largest houses there are many people gathered. We consult our guide, and he tells us that they are currently celebrating an Initiation ceremony. For this reason, we insist on the plan to be able to witness it. We stop, the guide asks questions and, given the affirmative answer, we disembark.
They let us enter the house and there begins an unforgettable experience, The transition from girl to woman It is celebrated in many Western cultures with a party when the teenager turns fifteen. In Kundiman this moment is also celebrated, but in a different way. The honoree begins her day without having breakfast and once in the celebration house she goes to stand in the middle of a large space next to her aunt, her father’s sister, with her back to her. What follows is the most striking; With a sharp object, in this case a gilette, a series of cuts are made on her back in the form of designs that she previously chooses, such as the figure of the moon. First to the initiator and then to her aunt.
The main girl is not very tall, she has a barely tan complexion, like the rest of the people around her, and her hair is very short and barely curly. The moon is outlined on his skin, but also a large drawing on his barely bleeding back that represents the symbol of the clan to which he belongs, called alameiwhich means frog. The absence of breakfast is related to the fact that the cuts are painful, so once they are done, you can proceed to eat. The girl, sitting in the middle of the hut bare-chested, like many other women in the hut, begins to feed. But the ceremony does not end there; All those who appreciate the initiate, cousins, brothers and even friends, also make cuts on their backs. One of them remains unchanged as marks are made with the sharp instrument from the waist to the shoulders, according to what a crocodile design requires, after passing a type of oil that makes the skin remain firmer and toned, which makes incisions easier. In the beginner the figure of the moon has its reason for being. According to tradition, The moon penetrates virgin women first and only then can humans have sex.
We participated in the celebration in Kundiman with Delma, the protagonist of the initiation, and members of the various clans that make up the village, gathered in a family house to celebrate the event. The late breakfast is shared by all attendees, including us; a kind of semi-solid paste from the palm tree sagoin addition to a fish called pacu and other foods, which introduce us to the diet of the locals.
We discover customs, we share traditions, we immerse ourselves in the unique culture of Kundiman, on the banks of the Karawari, in distant Papua New Guinea.
