Some of us may smear mud packs on our faces to
improve our looks, but not these guys. Hailing from Goroka in the Eastern
Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, the asaro mud men resemble something
from a twisted nightmare.
The legend surrounding their appearance claims
that when an enemy tribe attacked, they ran to the nearby asaro river to hide.
they waited until dark before emerging covered in thick mud, unaware that their
attackers were still there. Upon seeing the eerie figures materialising from the
darkness, the enemy tribe fled, believing them to be vengeful spirits.
Rumours spread that they were imbued with the
supernatural powers of the river spirits, so the crafty elders decided to
capitalise on this and created a new dress code for their warriors. to further
the effect, they fashioned the clay into terrifying masks with exaggerated
features studded with the teeth and tusks of wild boar.
In today’s more peaceful times, the mud men’s
impressive displays are limited to scaring the wits out of paying tourists
rather than neighbouring enemies.
source: BBC Knowledge
Comments
Post a Comment