Job's Tears, Papau New Guinea
Lisa Kristine

The Highlands of Papua New Guinea is a most fascinating region. Today the region remains dynamic, mostly due to its remoteness; though lives are transitioning toward a somewhat modern manner, strong traditional bearing remains, especially in terms of clan and tribal loyalties.This mourning wife of a deceased man is traditionally covered in the gray clay of the Asaro tribal custom. She will remain in lamentation and adorn herself with numerous threads of seeds known as “Job’s tears.” One string is removed each day until, at last, the widow will at last wash herself of the grey earth and return from her state of mourning.