Deep within the inaccessible jungle of the southeast Indonesian
province of Papua, about 150 kilometres inland from the Arafura Sea,
lives the Korowai tribe – a clan totally isolated from the rest of the
world. They are hunter-gatherers living in a small society of
traditional family ties who need to share all they have in order to
survive. Until their discovery by a Dutch missionary in 1974, the
Korowai had hardly any contact with the outside world.
The
Korowai people live in tree houses ranging in height from 6 to 12
meters, but some are as high as 35 meters above the ground. Usually the
houses are built on a single tree but frequently the base of the house
consists of several living trees, and additional support is derived from
wooden poles. These tree houses protect families not only against
swarms of mosquitoes below, but also ward off annoying neighbours and
evil spirits.
To
build a tree house, a sturdy Banyan tree is selected to function as the
central pole. The top of the tree is then removed. The floor frame,
made of branches, is constructed first and then covered with sago palm.
The walls and roof is made with the same leaves the frame of the house
consists of branches fastened with rattan bindings. The flooring must be
quite strong as the tree houses often accommodate as many as a dozen
people. A dry tree trunk with notches is hung from the bottom of the
tree house in order to get up to the house. This ladder shakes with each
step and warns the inhabitants that a visitor is on his way up.
