The Chambri Tribe: Crocodile Men of Papua New Guinea

13th May 2021

Along the Sepik River in Eastern Papua New Guinea, where crocodiles reign, there lies a tribe where coming of age is a painful – and sometimes dangerous – event.

The Chambri Tribe – commonly called The Crocodile Men of Papua New Guinea – believe humans evolved from the pre-historic river predators and that the creature is therefore sacred. They pay homage to this sacred animal every 4-5 years through a ceremony involving scarification.

Scarification might be a trendy new body modification in the western world, but for the Chambri Tribe, it is a right of passage for males aged 11 to 30 years. To make the transition from boy to man, elders cut deeply into their backs, chests and buttocks to make the skin appear scaly: like that of a crocodile. The marks are meant to be representative of tooth marks from the crocodile as it ‘swallows’ the young men during the ceremony. To prepare for the ritual, which can be so intense that it results in death, the men live in a ‘Spirit House’ for six weeks.

Also called Haus Tambaran, a Spirit House is a sacred space, where ancestral spirits are believed to inhabit every element of the structure: from the structural elements and foundations to spiritually and culturally significant objects within the house such as paintings and masks. Women are not allowed to enter under any circumstances, as it is the intention of the ritual to divorce the men from the ‘world of womenfolk’ and fill them instead with the power of the crocodile spirit.

Once the boys have completed their tenure inside the house, the initiation ceremony commences. During the ceremony, tribal elders use bamboo slivers to make hundreds of deep slices into the boys’ flesh – who are held down and not permitted pain relief other than medicinal plant leaves that can be chewed. The act of withstanding the pain is a poignant part of the ceremony. It is believed that if the boy can remain composed, he will be able to overcome pain later in life.

Once the cutting is complete, the boys sit close to a fire. There, smoke is blown into the wounds then, clay and tree oil is pushed into the cuts to ensure the scars remain raised once healed.

At the end of the ceremony, the boys participate in tribal rituals wearing traditional jewellery and headdresses and are considered not only to have reached the status of a man, but a crocodile.

About Paga Hill Estate

Paga Hill Estate is a world-class, master-planned estate in the heart of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The waterfront site is the first comprehensively planned multi-use development in Papua New Guinea to be enjoyed by both residents and visitors alike.

The all-inclusive development will include vibrant public spaces and waterfront promenade, luxury hotels, residential apartments, restaurants, retail, commercial space, a Trade, Exhibition & Cultural Centre, restoration of WWII relics, marina precinct and a nearby international cruise liner terminal.