Body decoration is the Huli Wigmen’s most popular means of expression. Men and women spend a lot of time beautifying their bodies. This culture is known for the facial paint that they wear daily. The style in which they wear this paint is that they place “Little daubs of red or yellow paint are placed at the corners of the eyes, over the eyelids or under the eyes, and on the tip of the nose” (Lafforgue).
Males have a complex wardrobe that consists of many elements. They wear a thick red woven belt that holds a long woven apron that hangs above the knee. On top of that apron is another short apron that is made from the same material and it is used to cover the genitalia area. The men cover their genitalia with leaves called cordyline that is bound together by a rope. Men enhance their basic outfit by adding ornaments such as earrings, neck bands, and a pig teeth necklace that is worn on the back of the neck.
In the Huli culture, women wear long grass skirts and sometimes they are dyed black. It is very common to buy European smocks in Tari. It is forbidden for young Huli women to expose their breasts, but when it comes to older Huli women, there are no rules against them covering their breasts. They wear less body decoration than men. Instead of wearing earrings and wigs, they wear a kina shell breast plate and neck beads.
There is one common item that is worn by both men and women and it is the string bag. Women use this bag to carry sweet potatoes and sometimes they even carry their children. Men use the string bags to carry tobacco, red paint, money, sweet potatoes, and sometimes even a mirror.
During dance, there is a separate attire for any dances that occur. The Mali dance is a simple jumping step where the dances silently perform to the beat of the drums. The men wear the manda hare wig which is usually red or black and is decorated with plumes and feathers of common birds. Each man has his own unique design of paint on their face. The paint is yellow with accents of red white, and blue. The hago belt is made of woven cane that is worn tightly around their torsos which causes their chest to become full. The male Mali dancers wear as much ornamentation as they can gather and the females add many things to their daily dress. They combine flowers, tree kangaroo fur, and feathers in their hair. Their faces are also painted red with yellow, blue, and white highlights.
These are links to videos that show members of this tribe dancing:
Pelagua dancers are very unique compared to the other dances that are done within the Huli culture. The men dancers wear the women’s long grass skirt while wearing a large head piece with a long grass wig underneath. The paint is essential to how their dance is perceived. The faces are painted red with black highlights and their chests are painted with red and white stripes. Lastly, the rest of their body, including their legs and forearms are painted white. These colors add a creative element to this dance.
Lafforgue, Eric. “Www.huliculture.com: Arts.” Www.huliculture.com: Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.
Exploring the Culture of the Huli Wigmen Tribe 