Who is enjoying life to the fullest? High blood pressure, HIV-AIDS, cancer are diseases unheard of by mountain dwellers. They don’t either experience air pollution, traffic congestion, sky-rocketing prices, graft and corruption, slums reeking of foul odor, traffic accidents, and broad daylight shootings. Should we convince tribesmen to live in cities to use electric fans in exchange for the free-flowing breeze coming from the trees and streams?
Koroway tribe- tree-tops dwellers
The KOROWAY tribe of people is found in the jungle fastnesses of Indonesia, particularly in the easternmost part of the Province of Papua. While their literate and cultured brothers dwelt in the plushy and air-conditioned mansion and bungalows, this tribe built their cozy dwellings high atop trees surrounded by cool, invigorating, and fresh air. Their homes which contain family members of up to 8 are not well-fixed and are abandoned anytime they migrate to other places, following the seasons in search of food, water, and other basic needs. Their huts on treetops vary in height depending on the kind of relationship they have with their fellow Koroway members. Their playgrounds are the jungles that abound with all sorts of fauna and flora and rivers teeming with fishes.
About 3,000 of them with grass skirts
They were officially recognized as tree-dwellers because they preferred to erect their cool huts high above grounds on treetops obviously for safety. This nomadic tribe numbers about 3,000 according to the 2010 census count which the government had undertaken. They were found to be wearing nothing but leaves. They weren’t aware of any other people but themselves until the late 1970s when anthropologists conducted a study on the tribe. Only a handful of members of KOROWAY can read and write. A total of 2868 of them were interviewed by census enumerators through missionary translators using sign language.
They prefer to speak their tribal language more than others
They use no cellphones, TVs, and computers for communication but their unique shouts, howls, smoke signals, trail markings, and the ability to read footprints. They knew nothing about English, Tagalog, and another lingo because they love their very own tribal dialect.
High Blood, stroke, HIV-and other modern diseases are unheard of in their dominion because they ate less fat, sugar, and salt, and besides they’re well exercised and possessing well-developed physique that are vital factors in jungle survival. Fresh animal meat and plant products not chilled in refs are their main dish. When luck is on their side, they may have good food such as wild boar, deer, sago flour, bananas, beetle grubs, and big lizards. Stress? They may have but few and can be counted by the fingers for they pay no income taxes, electric and water bills, loans, etc. Of all people, they enjoy limitless freedom. They recognize no outside authority but their own. Fearless but not warlike, they rally to protect their innate rights and privacy when threatened.
They’re equipped with hunting tools.
They excel in hunting and fishing. They provide and make their tools such as a stone ax, bow and arrow, and spears. Their arrows have different names and are intended for various types of prey. The large barbed arrow which is made from cassowary leg bone is intended for killing people. The 4-prong spear is designed for hunting fish while the arrow with a wide blunt tip is used to catch lizards.
Tourists of all creed and nationalities who are interested to take a first-hand look at this interesting type of people are welcomed. For a 10-day tour, tourists and visitors would truly enjoy such activities as trekking, camping, walking in the jungle floors, river canoeing, learning traditional culture and activities, tribal dance, viewing mummy, pig feast, and a refreshing swim in the river.
Credits:
Baliem Valley is situated 1600 meters above sea level amid the Jayawijaya mountain range of Papua, Indonesia. This valley is the site where the Dani tribe live as farmers and using an efficient irrigation system.
Korowai Mabul village in Southern Papua. Dani and Yali are other tribes in the mountains of Indonesia. While the Koroway tribe lived in huts atop trees, tribes Dani and Yali build round or oval huts of straw and wood with thick thatched roofs, with men, women, and children sleeping separately in the huts called honai. Likewise, Koroway doesn’t mixed men and women during sleeping time.
Leave a Reply