Wigmen . . strange but true

We started off in the garden again today, down to the Helipad at 6.20am.  Unfortunately there was a light mist which made spotting birds across the valley rather hard, we did find Rufous-naped Whistler, "Common Smokey", Yellow-browed Melidictes, Glossy and Mountain Swiftlets, and Island Leaf Warbler.

Ornate Fruit-dove

As we were struggling to find anything new we took the bus up the road in search of something new for our trip list.   Within minutes we were rewarded when Phil found an Ornate Fruit-dove, a very handsome dove with an orangey-maroon chest and maroon on the shoulder.   As we watched, Stephanie's Astrapia called, Brown Sicklebill was also heard, and King of Saxony displayed out of sight until it was spotted on it's usual perch, shivering it's long streamers and calling.

The Tari Gap Road

After a while, with nothing else to be found we returned to the lodge garden to try the valley once more.    Black Sicklebill, Short-tailed Paradigalla, and Great Woodswallow were seen again, but we finally managed to find a Rufous-throated Bronze-Cuckoo.

Soon it was time to go down to the local village for a display by the local Wigmen, they were to perform a Sing-sing which would be a combined welcome and goodbye for us.   The local tribe, the Huli, have handed down the tradition for generations.  They started as birdwatchers/hunters, and then started to make wigs out of human hair and stick the feathers into them, making elaborate head-dresses, mainly to show off how handsome they were.   This coupled with a large herd of pigs would entice a lady to be their wife.   The prime objective is to find a woman who will look after the pigs, tend the fields, bear children
and raise the girls.   They should have bald patches on their heads from carrying heavy loads, and broken nails for working hard.   The male children will be taken to live with their fathers so that (a) the girls are protected from the boys and kept safely with their mothers and (b) the boys will not learn the ways of the girls and will follow a manly path through life.

The Wigmen with their Plumes

Everyday dress

The Wig Men put their white base coat on, then add yellow clay colouring and red dye onto their faces, arms and legs.   They oil the rest of their bodies with various things such as sago, and oils from plants.  They then gather with their hand-held drums and start to beat out a steady rhythm, whilst jumping along in a line.   They have several attempts at getting the beat right, then when they are happy that they are synchronised they start to chant.   This goes on for some time, until they have completed their performance.   We are then invited to join them for photographs.  A fascinating insight into a long-standing tradition which is still being played out in modern times.   It will be interesting to see how many more generations will carry this on.   With the advent of mobile phones and influences from the outside world - including the addition of pheasant feathers to those of the more exotic birds of paradise which will surely dilute the authenticity of this amazing spectacle.   Whilst at the site we did see two Variable Goshawk passing by.

At the Wig School

After the show it was time to go and see how the wigs were created.   Basically, if a young man needs to raise money to get pigs to attract a wife, and he is prepared to live a clean, strict life, he can grow his hair into a wig to sell.   It takes 18 months to grow and during this time they stay at 'wig school' and must follow the rules of the school.   Every day they take water which has been placed in a bamboo tube and then had a spell cast over it by an elder.   The spell will ensure that the hair grows well.  The water has to be spat into the air over the hair and once this has been done twice, the remaining water has to be drunk.   One man said that once the spell has been cast the water is not as sweet as before.   This practise is followed three times a day.   The top of the hair is bleached paler than that underneath.   They sleep with their heads raised up from the ground by laying across a small tree trunk - the demonstration looked painful.

We were shown how the hair grows onto a frame, but remains attached to the head.   Once long enough the hair is sewn together to ensure that it does not fall apart before it is cut from the head.

The men we saw had grown their hair 3, 5 and 7 times.   The last gentleman (rather elderly) has promised himself that he will not grow it again as he would like to have a child and for that could not remain a virgin.

Showing how they sleep so the hair doesn't get flattened!

These men go through constant primping, preening and hardship to get a good price for their hair.   It is believed that it is only by following the rules that they will maintain a healthy and expensive wig.  They fold leaves up and push them into the hair to keep it healthy.

After lunch we had yet another encounter with the local culture.

                                                               


                                                                           Birding with Entourage

 We went looking for a Sooty Owl and Papuan Frogmouth.   First we stopped off at a local village where a farmer knew a couple of places where the Owl may be seen.   We stepped off the track into his files and proceeded in a rather disorderly fashion accompanied by numerous children, they helped us over streams

The children placing stepping stones for us

by building impromptu bridges from stones taken from the fields .   Through streams with the children taking us by the hand to steady us,  up steep slopes and through some woodland.   Eventually after being helped by the children we came to a small clearing where there was a large old tree with a huge gash in the trunk.   This was where the Owl could be.  First the farmer got a very long bamboo pole with a bent end which he proceeded to push up the trunk towards the hole.   When this didn't work he resorted to banging on the trunk with a large stone.

Eventually we had to give up, the Owl was not going to show itself.  So off we trouped,  by now joined with a large group of children, back the way we came.   The children were fascinated by us, wanting to stroke the inside of my forearm, looking at our hair and eyes, and delighted to see our photographs and videos of them.

Papuan Frogmouth

After much debate another land owner decided that he could show us a Papuan Frogmouth.   Off we went again, with the children still in tow, asking if they could have our umbrellas.   Once again we disappeared off the road, through more fields of butternut squash and sweet potatoes, finally crossing a stream to find not one, but two Frogmouths.   Fantastic birds to see, and a sight that really made my trip.

During the afternoon's excitement we also saw; Black-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Peregrine Falcon catching a pigeon, Great Woodswallow, Loria's Bird of Paradise and Western Mountain White-eye.

Birding with Entourage

With some time to spare we went back up the road to the Bailey Bridge area, where King of Saxony was on his usual perch, and a  White-breasted Fruit-dove was heard.