Far across the Pacific Ocean, deep in the jungles of an island at the edge of our map, lives an ancient society of treehouse builders. Some people say they are the last cannibal tribe on earth, others say they are only the last cannibals between Australia and the equator, others say they don’t really like the taste of human meat any more. Some say that they wear nothing but small pieces of foliage over their private bits; others say that they have been known to wear T-shirts. Whatever they say, these people are true junglists living at one with nature and deeply connected to mother earth. More importantly, they are the original, and most courageous masters of treetop construction…
The Korowai people live in southeast Papua, the Indonesian sector of New Guinea, which is the world’s second largest island after Greenland. Papua is a place of immense biological and cultural diversity, and the home of the Korowai is one of the last great expanses of tropical rainforest. This place does not accommodate just any modern man; malaria-ridden mosquitoes, poisonous snakes, deadly microbes and nasty insects lie hidden under the forest floor, waiting for the next chance to strike.
The first explorer from Europe sighted the island whilst sailing on the Pacific Ocean 500 years ago. The mysterious island at first seemed impenetrable due to its thick forests, bubbling swamps and violent rivers, but slowly people began to bushwhack their way in. Until the 90s the island was explored in small aircrafts by Christian missionaries searching for secret tribes to convert. These missionaries made it part of their agenda to discourage the practice of cannibalism which is now not prevalent in this part of the world. Nowadays, scientists and documentary makers enter the rainforest to meet the Korowai and learn about their ways and how they build their treehouses.
The Korowai say they build treehouses because that is how their ancestors used to live. In the past this may have been a defence tactic against rival clans who would attempt to steal women and children for slavery or cannibalism. Living way up in the canopy in treehouses means that you are off the forest floor, away from creepy crawlies and the mosquitos which are full of gnarly diseases. Being up high also means that the Korowai can stay out of reach of forest spirits and flooding when there is heavy rainfall. Then there’s the heat… Treehouses really come into their own in tropical regions; currently in Tamil Nadu, summer temperatures are above 43 degrees. Often elevation is the only way of catching the breeze and cooling yourself down. Like the Korowai, we also prefer to sleep as high up as possible.
Korowai treehouses range from simple structures at 6-12 metres in height, to huge natural architecture installations built in massive trees 30-40 metres above the forest floor. Often Korowai treehouse structures are bridged between multiple trees to provide extra support and durability, but most of the images shown in this article are of treehouses placed on a singular tree with a strong straight trunk and good branching.
Once a project is initiated – which usually happens when there is a marriage – the Korowai spring into action with formidable force. All the materials for the build are sourced on site. Chanting and singing whilst they work, the large team (including all the neighbours and friends from nearby clans who have come to help) begin felling trees to clear the area. Hundreds of smaller trees are cut for structural posts, rattan (a strong flexible material similar to wicker) is collected for the structural bindings, sago palm is harvested for the floor and walls, and leaves are sourced for the roof.
For access, generally a long tree trunk with notches cut out is connected from ground to treehouse so that people can climb up. Simple ladders made from wooden posts bound together with rattan are another means of access. However, for their tallest and most magnificent treehouses, like the one filmed in BBC’s human planet 2011 (jungles episode 4), a combination of both will comprise the access to the treehouse.
What is incredible about how the Korowai build is their style, and particularly, the fearlessness they have in the face of each construction challenge. With no safety equipment whatsoever, it would be reasonable to assume that there are limitations to what they can do. The footage from human planet utterly disproves this beyond belief. Seemingly for the Korowai, no tree is too high. In addition, the tree maintenance work which they display whilst building the treehouse leaves you sitting there with sweaty palms barely able to watch. Climbing delicately, without making a single mistake, they reach the uppermost branches – the ones only real monkeys would attempt – with sickening ease. These guys will hang on one-handed to a branch no bigger than your wrist whilst they carefully hack off the longest tips of the tree. Tree climbers and treehouse builders worldwide should know that the Korowai simply laugh at all our carabineers, harnesses and ropes.
Once the treehouse is finished everyone goes up to check it out. The women enter second so that the men cannot look up their skirts; whilst children and pets are lovingly carried up. Immediately breaking treehouse safety regulation 104, they light an open fire on the wooden floor of the treehouse and begin cooking. Whilst the food is being made all of the friends and family who have come to celebrate begin to explore the precarious new structure, and test their nerves by climbing out of the entrances and into the canopy.
Korowai and the media
Interestingly in most of the pictures that the media show of the Korowai people, the men are not seen wearing anything more than decorative items on their genitals, and the women just wearing their skirts. Although it is true that until 30 years ago the Korowai had no contact with the outside world, today they do actually wear T-shirts and other items of clothing. It’s supposed that in order to ‘keep up appearances’ as an untouched tribe, they were persuaded and possibly even paid to not wear clothes whilst people visited or filmed them… Why any broadcasting company would have wanted to do such a thing seems quite strange, it’s not as though these amazing people need to be glamorised. Regardless of what influence contact with the outside world has had on the Korowai, they remain a strong and proud society tied intrinsically to their jungle roots. Their story is a beautiful example of how, even today, it is possible to live a totally different life.