The Tree Houses of the Korowai Tribe of New Guinea
Deep within the inaccessible jungle of the southeast
Indonesian province of Papua, about 150 kilometres inland from the
Arafura Sea, lives the Korowai tribe – a clan totally isolated from the
rest of the world. They are hunter-gatherers living in a small society
of traditional family ties who need to share all they have in order to
survive. Until their discovery by a Dutch missionary in 1974, the
Korowai had hardly any contact with the outside world.
The
Korowai people live in tree houses ranging in height from 6 to 12
meters, but some are as high as 35 meters above the ground. Usually the
houses are built on a single tree but frequently the base of the house
consists of several living trees, and additional support is derived from
wooden poles. These tree houses protect families not only against
swarms of mosquitoes below, but also ward off annoying neighbours and
evil spirits.
