One of the tribes from the high jungle mountain areas paints themselves like undead spirits to scare the other tribes away. Everyone here is quite superstitious and a lot of their free time is spent exchanging legends and stories. The tribe spends hours painting one another to make sure their spirit-bodies are seen from as far away as possible.
It was quite a dangerous place here and there are countless tales of headhunting and cannibalism. I didn't feel any intense danger because I've been in some of the craziest situations in the world and I know how to handle myself. Also, I'm a very happy zen person and smile and laugh a lot, which usually seems to disarm people and make them feel comfortable with me.
These people are inherently suspicious of white people since they've been exploited for about a century, not to mention all the stuff that South African diamond-miners engaged in.
This guy and I hung out for a while. We didn't speak any of the same words, but established some sort of international communication. After a bit, he felt comfortable enough with me so I could take a photo.
Goroka, Papua New Guinea
