Hewa
Encyclopedia
The Hewa are an indigenous people that live in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea
near the junction of the Strickland
and Lagaip rivers. They number about 2,000 persons, and their rugged rainforest
terrain comprises about 200 square miles (518 km²), some of which was unexplored until 2008. Their language
belongs to the Sepik family.
They hunt birds, reptiles and mammals for food, adornment and trade with neighboring tribes. Having learned that fruit- and nectar-eating birds, such as fruit-dove
s and lorikeet
s, are vital to forest regeneration, the Hewa slash small gardens out of the dense jungle and allow about 20 – 25 years for the tilled yet unseeded land to be reforested
naturally. Their language is not related to any outside the general area and their culture is unlike that of the other Southern Highlands tribes. They have some limited trade with those neighboring tribes, exchanging the Hewa's animal skins, spears and nose rings for shells and boars.
They are one of the few tribes in the fringe highland area never to have practised cannibalism, perhaps because their belief associates cannibalism with dangerous sorcerers. They have been extensively studied by anthropologists Lyle Steadman and William H. Thomas. The Hewa were also featured on the final episode of the Discovery Channel
program Survivorman
.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
near the junction of the Strickland
Strickland River
The Strickland River is a river in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, and is the largest tributary of the Fly River.- Environmental concerns :...
and Lagaip rivers. They number about 2,000 persons, and their rugged rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
terrain comprises about 200 square miles (518 km²), some of which was unexplored until 2008. Their language
Hewa language
Hewa, also known as Sisimin and Lagaip, is a Sepik language of northern Papua New Guinea....
belongs to the Sepik family.
They hunt birds, reptiles and mammals for food, adornment and trade with neighboring tribes. Having learned that fruit- and nectar-eating birds, such as fruit-dove
Fruit-dove
The fruit doves are a genus in the pigeon and dove family . These colourful, frugivorous doves are found in forests and woodlands in Southeast Asia and Oceania...
s and lorikeet
Lorikeet
Lories and lorikeets are small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the parrot family Psittacidae...
s, are vital to forest regeneration, the Hewa slash small gardens out of the dense jungle and allow about 20 – 25 years for the tilled yet unseeded land to be reforested
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
naturally. Their language is not related to any outside the general area and their culture is unlike that of the other Southern Highlands tribes. They have some limited trade with those neighboring tribes, exchanging the Hewa's animal skins, spears and nose rings for shells and boars.
They are one of the few tribes in the fringe highland area never to have practised cannibalism, perhaps because their belief associates cannibalism with dangerous sorcerers. They have been extensively studied by anthropologists Lyle Steadman and William H. Thomas. The Hewa were also featured on the final episode of the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
program Survivorman
Survivorman
Survivorman is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network , and internationally on Discovery Channel and Science Channel...
.