The Asaro Mudman

The Asaro Mudmen – Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.
The story goes – the Asaro people lost their lands in fierce battles and were sent to less fertile lands in the Eastern Highlands mountains. Having struggled to survive in the mountains for many decades, the Asaro wanted to reclaim their lands, but their warriors were outnumbered. So they painted themselves in clay and made scary masks to give the impression they were spirits. When they attacked in the early hours of the morning, there was a mist that covered the land, and the Mudmen looked like floating spirits approaching the villages. People fled the valleys thinking the Asaro ancestors had come back from the dead to reclaim their lands. As the people fled far and wide, they spread the word about the Asaro people and their connection to the spirit world. The Asaro people successfully reclaimed their lands and quickly increased their population to ensure that if they were ever attacked again, they had many strong warriors to defend their land