Boys are drawn to mud puddles and learn to enjoy playing in them at a very early age.
This early fascination often continues on into adulthood.
For some it is work.
Dirty entertainment: Steve Brooker (right) with his Mud Men co-presenter Johnny Vaughan
But for most it is simply for fun.
For some it is a ritual.
These are the Mud Men of New Guinea.
The story behind the mud men is that a tribe from a village called Asaro had lost several tribal wars. Someone got the idea that painting their bodies with clay and wearing huge mud masks would scare their enemies. This worked very well for a while and they grew wealthy. Eventually, somebody caught a mud man defecating and realized they were human. That ended the "dress up as spirits to scare the enemies" racket but the "dress up as spirits to impress the tourists" racket remains intact. Their slow movements and clicking bamboo claws are simply fascinating.
The Asaro Mudmen come from just outside the town of Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. The mud men cover``` their bodies with mud and become white. White color represents death in the Papouasian culture. On the fingers, they put bamboos sticks to make noise and frighten the enemies.
Their slow movements and clicking bamboo claws are fascinating.
Some have no idea where the fascination comes from.
No comments:
Post a Comment