PAPUA

THE RIVER SEPIK
No one knows with any certainty what the meaning of the word Sepik is, although it is claimed that it
means “Large River”, something that is certainly believable when you first set eyes on this imposing river
with its length of 1,125 kilometres. The country’s most stunning natural landscape unfolds around this
huge mass of water, which flows from the Victor Emmanuel mountain range in the central Highlands.
Tropical forests, cultivable mountain ranges, verdant mountains and marshy wetlands alternate along
the length of the Sepik, home to the island’s greatest variety of flora and fauna as well as some of its most
interesting tribes. The most isolated settlements remain almost untouched by Western influence.
The Sepik is the island’s largest river and one of the largest river systems in the world. Like the Amazon,
it is serpentine in shape, and discharges into the Bismarck Sea without forming a delta. The river is
navigable for the greatest part and serves the travel and transport needs of its people. It is, however, a
hydrological system that is ceaselessly adapting, changing its flow and creating new basins; the tribes that
live along its banks are often forced to relocate so as to follow its new direction.
Over 250 different linguistic groups live in this region. Each settlement also comprises an autonomous
“ethnic” group, even though many of the villages are linked either by tribal or trade relations. It is perhaps
to these extensive transactions between the Sepik tribes – aided by navigation along the river – that we
can ascribe the increased need of the people here to preserve their cultural independence, their particular
history, language, folk art and mythology. All these tribes consider their oral traditions, which have been
handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years, to be of the utmost importance. The
first contact that these tribes had with Europeans was in 1885, during German exploration of this region
when it was a part of German New Guinea.
Although many settlements are self-sufficient, trade is a basic part of economic life. Each tribe has a
unique product that it exchanges for the unique products of the other tribes (I should mention here that
women are also among the “goods” that are exchanged between the villages). The diet is based on saksak,
a type of flour that is produced by the pith of the sago palm tree that flourishes in the region. Although
flour is an exclusively starchy food, for the inhabitants of the area, it provides a dependable nutritional
solution and without requiring any farming. Their diet is occasionally supplemented with fish, game and
some garden vegetables which they grow during the dry season as the heavy rainfall throughout the rest
of the year prohibits almost all other types of crops. This stability in the supply of living necessities is
considered by many to be a main factor in the noteworthy development of arts in the Sepik region. The
famous sculptures are indissolubly linked with life along the Sepik. With tradition a powerful factor in
their understanding of the world and, by extension, their aesthetics, the tribes of the Sepik incorporate
new elements into tradition, adapting their daily life to new needs that may arise.
Each village has a ritual space – the Haus Tambaran or Spirit House (House of the Ancestors Spirits) –
which is adorned with a plethora of masks, reliefs, sculptures of female figures with exaggerated fertility
symbols and paintings of local myths, oral traditions and religious customs. Many rituals are held in the
Spirit House and the preparations prior to their performance are sacred for the inhabitants. The building
itself is imposing: it is usually made from bamboo with a straw roof and often reaches a height of 25
metres, dominating the whole region around the hamlet and the surrounding forest. Traditionally only
Sepik warriors were permitted to step over the threshold of such a sacred space, and the punishment for
violating this rule was death. This is where the coming-of-age rites for young men are held, during which
the form of a crocodile is cut into their skin as a symbol of their masculine strength. The wounds are then
covered in mud to avoid any infections.
The celebrated art of the Sepik is believed by specialist scholars to be of particular importance, not
simply because of its intricate style and great beauty but also for its cultural meaning. Primarily religious
in its significance, this art still today has a leading position in the religious life of the river tribes. In their
belief system, the spirits of the dead ancestors continue to participate in the social life of the community.
And as living entities, they get angry, are satisfied, give help and seek revenge. The priest-magicians are
often required to perform sacrifices in order to appease them or to attain their assistance for a successful
harvest, fishing trip or battle.
Christian church, Sepik Protective sheats for men’s House interior, Sepik Spirit House Preparing saksak flour
Women of a Sepik tribe
Rainforest, Sepik Initiation procedure Sepik river Wooden masks, Sepik
genital organs