Travel Guide Maprik

At 3 h 30 of Wewak, this large village is not very interesting, but it lies in the heart of the interesting culture of the. This ethnic group, scattered in small villages of the Prince Alexander mountains, has a culture very different from that of the river, although both share the custom to build the immense houses of spirits. These high houses and beautiful ochre colours really deserve a visit, as do the sculptures and dances of the Abelam. The life of this ethnic group is organised around the culture of the yams, a tuber to which the Abelam manage to give surprising dimensions (several metres!). After harvest, the largest tubers are compared between clan members and exchanged. The clan that produced the largest yams earns enormous prestige and the ability to influence others until the next harvest. By continuing the road beyond Maprik, in the villages of Abangaï and Serikum, you can visit two houses of abelam spirits.