Various beautiful cultures indeed complement West Papua. When you search about this place, you will find multiple ethnic groups. One is the Korowai Tribe of West Papua, who are very special and unique. They live in a very isolated territory in West Papua, precisely in the world’s least explored jungles in Mappi Regency. Let’s get acquainted with this unique tribe of West Papua!
The Identity of Korowai Tribe of West Papua
Korowai tribe is indigenous people from Papua who still live in isolated places in the jungle. Interestingly, they had no recorded contact with the world until the 1970s. They live in their way and enjoy their daily activity far away from the world.
The Korowai is the name of an island tribe discovered 35 years ago. An incredible fact about this tribe is the amount of them. It reaches around 3000 people that live in isolated places in West Papua.
In 1974, a group of lost scientists discovered the Korowai tribe. It happens when they accidentally enter the territory of this tribe. This group was led by Peter W. Van Arsdale, a cultural anthropologist from the US. They decided to stay and record the daily activity of the Korowai people. This is the time when people get to know about the beautiful Korowai tribe.
Interesting Facts about Korowai Tribe
There are many interesting facts about the Korowai tribe of West Papua. They live differently and stay with their own culture in this modern era. Here are some interesting facts you need to know about them:
1. Live in a Treehouse
This tribe lives in small groups. Every group of them has a particular territory. They will build a treehouse to live with their groups. Usually, there will be no more than 5 treehouses in one territory. The most exciting thing about this treehouse is that it’s 50 meters tall. You can imagine they need to climb every day to reach the house. They believe that this treehouse will protect them from dangers.
2. Marriage for Teenage Girl
The Korowai tribe believes that a girl should be married in their teenage years. Usually, the girls are married right after the first menstruation. Once married, she will be an adult and must leave the house to follow her husband. Meanwhile, the man will marry a Korowai girl at least 20 years old.
3. Pregnant Woman Giving Birth in the Forest
There is another unique fact about women in the Korowai tribe. After getting pregnant and ready to give birth, they will send the baby into the deep forest. They must take care of themselves in the woods until the baby is born.
4. Hunting as Daily Activity
They are hunting for food to stay alive in the forest. Hunting is in their blood, and they will always use bows and arrows to attack animals. But there is a scary fact about this hunting tradition. They are not only hunting the animals but also people who seem like a threat to them.
5. Practicing Cannibalism
Another unique and scary fact about the Korowai tribe is they practice cannibalism. They are one of the least known tribes in the world that still practice cannibalism. It happens because they think there is a Khakhua (a magician or demon that spreads diseases to their tribe).
The Korowai tribe of West Papua still lives in their region. They continue to exist and live in their traditions for a long time. They believe they are alone, so they will always feel comfortable living in that isolated forest in this modern era.
