Warriors, Papau New Guinea
Lisa Kristine

These finely painted warriors, spears in hand and marching in step, literally quake the ground with the unison of their footfall. The elaborate costumes and makeup are used for ceremony and warfare. One can imagine the importance of an imposing appearance in the jungle during battle. Tribal fighting is most common in the Highlands, largely due to the fact that the people were not discovered until the 1930s. Thus the Highlanders have, for a millennium, been living in response to the immediate environment of the wildlife surrounding them, resolving disputes through physical confrontation. However, their warrior nature does not in the least outweigh their great hospitality, nor the large hearts which reside within them.