The Huli Wigmen of Papua New Guinea

The Papua New Guinea Highlands Papua New Guinea is always a pleasure to explore and we look forward to every expedition with our guests . South Sea Horizons is proud to share the photographs and experiences we have encountered along the way while operating low impact responsible tours into regions of Papua New Guinea.

All of our explanations are our recounts of conversations with the people themselves. If some cultures are “Itambu” (forbidden to talk about), then we do not push these boundaries. We always check to see if we are allowed to share these stories.

While going through the various stages of the initiation processes, men and women gain knowledge of the traditions and customs of their ancestors. The stories are passed down by word of mouth, and this adds to the notoriety of being initiated and offers an individual village status amongst their peers. Those who are uninitiated assume a lower stature to the ones that are. The performance of each sing sing group has its own unique story, some shared, and some have been kept secret for 1000’s of years. 

The Huli Wigmen

The Huli Wigmen are a proud tribe from the Huli territory in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The Huli are proud people who believe they descended from one man called Huli, who was a masterful farmer and gave them the rich fertile land they enjoy today in the Huli Territory.

Young Huli adolescent males are separated from their mothers and sisters due to the belief that the Huli women are dangerous witches who suck away a Huli man’s masculinity.

Young Huli boys join the Haroli bachelor cult and live in seclusion hidden in a secret place deep in the Papua New Guinean Jungles. After a period of 18 months to 3 years where the Huli boys ritually purify themselves and their hair with oils and herbs, they present themselves to the village with their full head of hair ready to be harvested and become a Huli Wigman.

Like most refined cultures, the Huli have a ceremonial attire and an everyday atire.

Below a Huli Wigman wears his everyday attire. The wig is lighter in colour, and his face is hardly painted. When travelling in town centres of Papua New Guinea, you will see the Huli most commonly dressed like this.

The Huli Wigman of Papua New Guinea

For Ceremonial purposes, the Huliwigman will wear a dark wig with his face painted entirely of yellow, red and white.

Huli Wigman of Papua New Guinea