Traditional Papua Competitions

Traditional competitions among the Papuans are mostly athletic in character and are held within the framework of local festivals. Residents of nearby settlements gather to participate and watch. The main object of the competitions is to demonstrate the skills necessary for traditional household and business activities. 

Boat races in traditional Papua canoes on the picturesque Sentani Lake, which is surrounded by low mountains, are very popular. Villagers who live by the lake compete in regular boats they use in their own households. The races take up practically an entire day; men and women race alone and in pairs. 

Boat races are also traditional among the Asmat people, and these races also take place during festivals as well as during formal greeting ceremonies for guests. The Asmat typically row their canoes standing up, whether during competitions or while fishing in mangrove channels. Photographed here: rowing practice ahead of competitions during a festival in the town of Agats. 

During the Sentani Lake Festival one can also observe an unusual competition they call a tournament for strong women. The goal for the female participant is to stay underwater as long as possible while holding a lit cigarette in her mouth, with the burning end inside the mouth. The cigarette must not go out. There are prizes for the winners. I was told that this competition has its roots in a particular Papuan way of keeping warm when one has to spend a long time in the water, for instance, while fishing. 

And, of course, it is impossible to imagine any holiday on the Island of New Guinea without a spear-throwing competition. The spear was once the main Papuan weapon both in hunting and in warfare. This competition, which today is a demonstration of male prowess and marksmanship, took place in the festival in Wamena in the Baliem Valley. Curiously, even some police officers on duty could not resist the temptation to throw a spear.