Where is Tari / Who are the Huli People?

Tari is a cool alpine town located in the Southern Highlands. It is the home of the famous Huli Wigmen who are famous for their elaborate and colourful dress, these proud warriors have great reverence for birds, imitating them in ceremonial dances and decorating their wigs with feathers, flowers and cuscus fur. The wigs are woven from human hair. Everlasting daisies are especially cultivated for use in the wigs, while their faces are painted with yellow ochre. The women, by contrast wear black for their wedding and coat themselves with blue-grey clay when mourning. Clans have a strong and intricate social system little affected by change. It is one of the few places where the traditional way of life can be seen in everyday living. Ceremonial rituals are strongly observed. Men and women can still be seen wearing traditional dress, tending their gardens and pigs and building their bush material huts.

The Huli people live in the central mountains of PNG, at a latitude of six degrees below the equator and at a mean altitude of about 1500 metres above sea level. They number over 65,000 (Kloss & McConnel 1981), grouped in clans (hamigini) and subclans (hamigini emene) throughout the area they now claim as their own.