Kalam, Indonesia - Papua New Guinea

Speaking of the Papua New Guinea tribes, the Kalam tribe is surely worth mentioning. The Kalam people are settled in a village high in the mountains of Simbai where they can only be reached by helicopter since the mountain road is very steep and slick and covered with bushes.

Due to its hard-to-reach location in some way, the Kalam tribe is fortunate to maintain its original culture. Tribal traditions and habits are incredibly interesting. They wear head-dresses decorated with bird feathers as a ritual dress, as well as massive necklaces made of pearl shells, birds’ beaks and wildflowers. Young boys get their nose pierced as adults. Women cover their bodies in pig fat to give them more shine.

The Kalam men are skilled hunters, whereas the women are engaged in farming and gathering. The Kalam people have very friendly and strong relationships within the tribe. They live as one big family and have a great respect for the wonders of nature. Considering this, the symbolic meaning of the tribe name becomes quite clear. Sumerian word ‘kalam’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘kula’, which means ‘society’, ‘family’. Next - Ladakhi