Who Are the Korowai?
The Korowai are a Papuan people inhabiting the lowland forests of southeastern Papua (Indonesia) along the Becking and Eilanden rivers. Numbering approximately 3,000-4,000, they speak Korowai, a Trans-New Guinea language. The Korowai gained worldwide attention for their remarkable tree houses—structures built high in the forest canopy, sometimes 35-50 meters above the ground. They were among the last peoples to make contact with the outside world; anthropologists and missionaries only reached them in the 1970s-80s. Some Korowai groups reportedly still avoid contact, living according to traditional ways in remote forest areas.
Tree House Architecture
Korowai tree houses are among the world's most remarkable vernacular architecture. Built on single banyan or other large trees, these structures rise high into the canopy, accessed by notched pole ladders that can be removed for security. Construction involves complex engineering—selecting suitable trees, building platforms, and creating living spaces using forest materials without metal tools. Tree houses served defensive purposes (protection from raids and evil spirits), practical functions (above floods and insects), and spiritual significance. A single house might shelter one or several family units. While many Korowai now live in ground-level settlements, tree house construction continues, sometimes for tourism but also for traditional purposes in remote areas.
Forest Life
Traditional Korowai economy was based on sago palm processing—the starchy pith providing the staple food—supplemented by hunting (including wild pigs, cassowaries, and smaller game), fishing, and gathering. The lowland rainforest environment differs dramatically from highland Papua, with dense vegetation, rivers providing transportation, and sago rather than sweet potato as the dietary base. Korowai lived in small, dispersed family groups, with clan territories and complex relationships between groups. Traditional beliefs centered on spirits and the practice of identifying witches (khakhua) blamed for deaths—a practice that reportedly included ritual killing and cannibalism, though such practices have been suppressed by Indonesian authorities and missionaries.
Contemporary Korowai
Modern Korowai society is rapidly changing. Indonesian government policy and missionary activity have established settlements along rivers where many Korowai now live. Education, health services, and Christianity have spread, fundamentally altering traditional life. Tourism has developed around tree house visits, creating new economic relationships and incentives to maintain (or perform) traditional practices. Some remote groups reportedly maintain more traditional ways. The Korowai face challenges common to recently-contacted peoples: disease exposure, land rights issues, cultural disruption, and integration into state systems. Their situation raises questions about contact, change, and the future of isolated peoples. The iconic tree houses remain symbols of human adaptability and cultural diversity.
References
- Stasch, R. (2009). Society of Others: Kinship and Mourning in a West Papuan Place
- Raffaele, P. (2006). "Sleeping with Cannibals" - Smithsonian Magazine
- Kirsch, S. (2006). Reverse Anthropology: Indigenous Analysis of Social and Environmental Relations in New Guinea