Asaro Mudmen

Tradition of an ethnic group of Papua New Guinea

The "Mudmen" of Papua New Guinea's Asaro tribe, also known as the Holosa, are those who wear a traditional costume centered around masks made of mud. They reside near the village of Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.

There are various oral histories regarding the origins of the Asaro Mudmen, with anthropologist Todd Otto observing that "there are as many versions of [the creation legend] as there are sources." According to one account, the Asaro tribe was defeated by an enemy tribe and sought refuge in the Asaro River. There, they encountered a man who granted them the ability to kill with their eyes. They waited until dusk to escape, but one of them was captured. When the captured member emerged from the muddy banks covered in mud, the enemy mistook him for a spirit and fled in fear, as many tribes in Papua New Guinea are fearful of spirits. Believing they had encountered a supernatural force, the enemy tribesmen fled back to their village and performed a special ceremony to ward off the spirits. The mudmen were unable to conceal their faces because it was believed that the mud from the Asaro River was poisonous. Instead, they crafted masks from heated pebbles and water from the waterfall. Another version suggests that the tradition originated when a wedding guest could not find a traditional wedding costume. The masks feature distinctive designs, including elongated or very short ears that extend to the chin or point upwards at the top, elongated eyebrows connected to the ears, horns, and mouths oriented sideways. According to research conducted in September 1996 by Danish anthropologist Ton Otto from Aarhus University, the Mudmen tradition is unquestionably an invention of the Asaro people. The current elaborate form of the Mudmen tradition, which evolved from a 1957 cultural fair, is likely to have been influenced by external factors such as tour operators, writers, and government agencies.