Asaro Mudmen
The Asaro Mudmen ( mud - or clay people ) are a people from the Eastern Highlands province , the highlands of the Republic of Papua New Guinea . They live in the area of the provincial capital Goroka . The name Asaro-Mudmen goes back to the Asaro River , which flows through the settlement area.
history
The history of the Asaro mudmen begins in the 1880s or 1890s with Bukiro Pole , grandfather of Rupio Okoroho , inventor of the mudmen tradition. In Watabung he got to know the practice of bakime , in which people rub their faces with the white sap of the meniba tree in order to be able to camouflage themselves better when attacked from an ambush. He introduced this practice in his village and developed it further into girituwai . Here, clay is applied to a helmet-like structure made of bamboo and mesh bag material ( bilum ), which is later worn close to the head. Other building materials were later used, such as the roots of banana trees or unfired clay.
In 1957, the organizers of the first Eastern Highlands Agricultural Show contacted the village chairman and grandson of Poles, Rupio Okoroho, with the request that the cultural heritage of his people be performed with a sing sing (dance) in a competition . He had the girituwai demonstrated in a modified form, the masks were refined into works of art and the facial features individualized. The dancer's bodies were rubbed with white clay. 200 Asaro disguised as mudmen took part in the competition and left a lasting impression on the audience with an intimidating performance. The slowly performed dance demonstrated impermanence, “brittle, splintered bones”. The flies are symbolically driven away by waving banana leaves. They carry bows and arrows, axes and spears as weapons. They received the first prize and earned the name holosa , which means "Asaro spirit". Limited to the Agricultural Show until 1964, the Asaro later toured the region with the spectacle, which sparked advertising for industrial purposes (Toyota or Pepsi) and achieved national symbolism.
Legends
The popularity led to the formation of legends. The best known tells how the Mudmen were defeated in the fight against an enemy tribe and felt compelled to seek the protection of the Asaro River . The defeated warriors wanted to flee under cover of dusk. The enemy saw the mudmen rise from the mud of the river and was frightened because the body and head were completely encrusted with mud. They were believed to be spirits who were in awe of them. Out of fear and horror, the victorious people fled and finally gave way to the enemy.
Another legend tells of an Asaro boy who got mites. The villagers covered his body with mud and his head with a mud mask, causing the mites to die.
The drama is now being imitated, for example by the Mindima. Their masks are larger and frog-like. They also wear sharpened bamboo splinters on their fingers.
literature
- Otto, RJ Verloop: The Asaro Mudmen: Local Property, Public Culture? The Contemporary Pacific, Vol. 8, 1996. ( PDF, 2.1 MB )
- N. Wilson: Plumes and pearlshells - Art of the New Guinea Highlands, Art Gallery of New South Wales , Sydney 2014.