TOLAI TRIBE PAPUA NEW GUINEA OVER MODELED AUTHENTIC TRIBAL HUMAN SKULL DAVID HOWARD TRIBAL ART TOLAI TRIBE PAPUA NEW GUINEA OVER MODELED AUTHENTIC TRIBAL HUMAN SKULL

The Tolai are the indigenous cannibal tribe of the Gazelle Peninsula
and the Duke of York Islands of East New Britain in the New Guinea Islands region of Papua New Guinea. They are ethnically close kin to the peoples of adjacent New Ireland and are thought to have migrated to the Gazelle Peninsula in relatively recent times, displacing
the Baining people who were driven westwards.

In August 2007, the descendants of Tolai tribes people who ate a Fijian
minister and 3 Fijian teachers, publicly apologized for the
incident to Fiji's High Commissioner, Ratu Isoa Tikoca.

Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries on Earth.
According to recent data, 841 different languages are listed for the country.
There may be at least as many traditional societies, out of a population
of about 6.2 million. It is also one of the most rural, as only 18 percent
of its people live in urban centers. The country is one of the world's least
explored, culturally and geographically, and many undiscovered
species of plants and animals are thought to exist in the
interior of Papua New Guinea.

The Asmat are an Indonesian cannibalistic tribe on the island;
Papua. Known to use human skulls under their heads for pillows,
they also have been reported to eat human brains mixed with sago
worms straight from halved human skulls. The Asmat live in
mangrove vegetation near the sea and rivers, on the south side
of the western part of New Guinea. The Asmat, in addition to hunting
for skulls, also worshipped them. Ancestor skulls are stripped of
brains and eyes! Nasal passages are closed to prevent evil spirits
from entering or exit the body. Asmat decorated skulls
are displayed in sacred places inside Asmat domiciles.

The natural environment has been a major factor affecting the Asmat,
as their culture and way of life are heavily dependent on the rich natural resources found in their
forests, rivers, and seas. The Asmat mainly subsist on starch from the sago palm
(Metroxylon sagu), fish, forest game, and other items gathered from their forests and waters.
Materials for canoes, dwellings, and woodcarvings are also all gathered locally,
and thus their culture and biodiversity are intertwined. Due to the daily flooding which occurs
in many parts of their land, Asmat dwellings have typically been built two or more meters
above the ground, raised on wooden posts. In some inland regions, the Asmat have lived in
tree houses, sometimes as high as 25 meters from the ground. The Asmat have traditionally placed
great emphasis on the veneration of ancestors, particularly those who were accomplished warriors.
Asmat art, most noticeably elaborate, stylized wood carving, is designed to honour ancestors.
Many Asmat artifacts have been collected by the world's museums, among the most notable of
which are those found in the Michael C. Rockefeller Collection at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York City and the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.

ANCESTOR SKULLS ARE COLLECTED AND VENERATED TO REMEMBER
DECEASED FAMILY MEMBERS. THE IFUGAO COLLECT BONES OF DEAD
RELATIVES; WRAP THEM IN TRIBAL TEXTILES, AND STORE THEM IN THE
RAFTERS UNDER THEIR HUTS. HUMAN SKULLS AND SKULL CAPS FROM
NEPAL ARE RITUAL OFFERTORY VESSELS THAT ARE USED AS
DRINKING CUPS IN TIBETAN BUDDHIST CEREMONIES.

THE ASMAT TRIBE ATTACH
FEATHERS, SEEDS, AND CARVED SEA SHELL NOSE RINGS
TO THEIR DECEASED ANCESTOR'S SKULLS.