A sing-sing is a festival in Papua New Guinea where tribes gather to celebrate and demonstrate tribal songs and dances to share their traditions and promote peace between their tribes. Mount Hagen, the third largest city in PNG, with over 40,000 inhabitants, is home to the largest and most famous such festival.
Hundreds of tribes gather, painted and dressed in traditional regalia which features face paints in vibrant colors made from natural materials, plumage from native birds, seashells, and palm branches. The festivals began when PNG was under Australian rule in 1957. Australian officials staged the first such festival as a competition among tribes in Goroka, capital of the Eastern Highlands Province, in an effort to determine how the regions were organized.
Hundreds of tribes gather, painted and dressed in traditional regalia which features face paints in vibrant colors made from natural materials, plumage from native birds, seashells, and palm branches. The festivals began when PNG was under Australian rule in 1957. Australian officials staged the first such festival as a competition among tribes in Goroka, capital of the Eastern Highlands Province, in an effort to determine how the regions were organized.
Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975, but the festivals had already become a popular tradition, drawing tribes from around the country and tourists from around the globe. Although competition is still an element of the festivals, for most spectators the show is about gaining a better understanding of tribes that were unknown to the Western world prior to the 20th Century.
The tribes perform war-dances, share ancestral songs and stories, and use musical instruments created by hand from the resources in their region. The festivals include demonstrations of tribal funeral rituals, courtship dances, and male initiation rites.
The tribes perform war-dances, share ancestral songs and stories, and use musical instruments created by hand from the resources in their region. The festivals include demonstrations of tribal funeral rituals, courtship dances, and male initiation rites.
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