Abelam people

The Abelam are approximately 30,000 people a comprehensive population in Papua New Guinea. Their settlement area is located in the hinterland of the north coast, in the East Sepik Province.

The villages of Abelam are divided into hamlets, their distribution reflects the social situation. The hamlet, which in turn consists of two village units, the Zeremonialgruppen, existence, are essential for exchange relationships or marriage rules and each other in constant competition ratio. All members of a hamlet be considered as related to each other and are attributed to a clan. The center of each hamlet is the cult house, which is seen as a political and religious center. The Abelam living from horticulture, the most important food and part of ceremonies is the yam tuber. In addition, taro, bananas and sugar cane are grown.

The Abelam not lead her beautiful paintings, like other cultures in New Guinea, as body painting, but rather decorate their cult houses with paintings. The mesh pockets on the Abelam ( Bilum ) are a reflection of social roles. For men, they serve as a " tool bag " and as jewelry for women as transport and support resources as well as a cradle. They are made from plant fibers woven by women and have different meanings depending on the decoration. The bags are part of the female clothes and are closely connected with the assessment of labor and skills of women. As a symbol of femininity and fertility, they play a role in the initiation.

The cult house of Abelam

The up to 25 meters high cult and haunted houses are the center of the planters settlements of Abelam. It is triangular robust construction made ​​of bamboo tubes and Lilianen and built in about three months. The Kult House is the capital of the connection with the ancestors, richly decorated and reserved for men. It is the center of social and religious events such as wakes, weddings, dispute resolution, meetings and initiations.