Into The Mouth Of The Crocodile

Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River winds through unchanged villages, with new trips opening up this country within a country.

- Mark Stratton

Back inside the spirit house in Kanganaman, village elder Vincent Yarme lifted his T-shirt to reveal rows of 2cm-long welts cut during one of the world’s most extreme initiation ceremonies. His crocodile hide scarifications contoured all the way up his back, over his shoulders and then down his chest to circle his nipples like a pair of eyes.

“It took 45 minutes of cutting by razor blade,” Vincent recalled. “My uncle puttree oil and white clay on my cuts to ease the pain. I felt heavy from loss of blood.” The night before the initiation, the young men had evoked the crocodile spirit by chanting. “The crocodile is a symbol of power on the Sepik. After the pain I felt ready for anything in life,” he added.

Spirits and creation myths taking animal form are commonplace along Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Sepik River, but no animal is more totemic than the crocodile. During a week on the river I saw crocodiles depicted in the art and cultural performances (‘sing-sings’) of this far-flung northern region. Ironically, the closest I got to seeing a crocodile in the flesh was a sautéed entrée served one evening on board our expedition vessel.