If you are in East Sepik Province, the Sepik River Crocodile Festival is a must see.
The Sepik River Crocodile Festival is a three day cultural celebration staged annually in Ambunti, East Sepik Province, of Papua New Guinea.
The festival is usually held every first weekend of August and this year, it will be celebrated tomorrow (Friday 5th) through to Sunday, August 7th.
The year 2016 marks the festival’s 10th anniversary. It celebrates one of PNG’s famous tribal heartland and the significance of the well-regarded crocodile - a significant part of the Sepik culture.
The show promises to be bigger this year as it will feature 60 cultural groups from communities along the Sepik River and this year’s theme is “Celebrating with Nature and Culture”.
The Sepik River is one of the largest rivers in the Asia-Pacific region and is home to some of the world’s largest freshwater crocodiles.
In Sepik, the culture man and the crocodile share a special bond. The crocodile symbolises strength, power and manhood.
Skin cutting initiation still continues today in Sepik River communities where men proudly wear scars cut into their skin resembling the back of a crocodile, run from the shoulder to the back of the spine and hips.