Photo. Inside a Spirit Houses near Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea. © Travel Explorations.
First I visited the Melpa people who are one of the main tribes living around Mount Hagen in the Papua New Guinea Highlands. They are well known for their strong clan system, rich oral traditions, and spectacular ceremonies.
Spirit houses (Haus Tambaran) and ancestral beliefs shape how the Melpa understand land, life, and identity. Visiting Melpa territory felt like entering a living culture where tradition is not remembered- it is practiced.
Later I visited the Jiwaka people who live in the fertile highlands of Jiwaka Province, an area known for strong traditions and close ties to ancestral beliefs. Their culture is deeply rooted in land, clan, and spirits, with also Haus Tambaran (spirit houses) playing an important ceremonial role.
Here I noticed a human skull rested inside the Jiwaka tribe’s Haus Tambaran - silent, exposed and impossible to ignore. I couldn’t help thinking how little I would like to end up here, stucked in the middle of someone else’s story. As evening fell, the mood shifted. Smoke drifted, pots were prepared, and hunger took over. The chief was ready to eat—life moving on, even in a place where the spirits never really leave.
In the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, spirit houses are more than buildings. I visited several near Mount Hagen, in the rich farmlands of the Wahgi Valley, where culture feels close to the ground and very much alive.
These spirit houses stand quietly but carry weight. Carved figures watch from their walls, and in the past, some were marked with skulls to honour ancestors and spirits. They are places where the living stay in touch with those who came before.
Pigs play a central role here. They are not just animals, and not only used for exchange and payment, but symbols of wealth, respect, and spiritual connection. Ceremonies, exchanges, and social ties often revolve around them. In the Wahgi Valley, spirit houses and pigs together tell a simple truth: land, people, animals, and ancestors are all part of the same living world.
Stein Morten Lund, October 1999, updated January 2026
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