HAUS MAN The Highlands of Papua New Guinea

The Highlands custom still exists even today especially the people of  Southern Highlands, Hela, Enga, Western Highlands, Simbu Province and Eastern Highlands.
In the Southern Highlands Province, around the Kagua and Erave District, they built different types of houses using the bush materials.
They are; HAUS MAN, HAUS MERI, Family house and Single quarters.




The house on the picture is called, 'HAUS MAN.' HAUS MAN is only built for men so women can not be entered any time.

If a woman entered a HAUS MAN any time and if they catch her, there they will go and claim her for highly demand of 5 to 10 pigs or 30 to 50 KINA SHELLS used as traditional money for the payment or compensation.

If that woman's relatives could do nothing about the compensation, then, all the men from the HAUS MAN force themselves and grab things what they wish or burn their houses.
From there, the woman's relatives show that, every belongings are destroyed so they started to fight against men from the HAUS MAN or among the two groups in the same tribe.
They even kill man for braking the customary principles in the village and  tribes for even small things.
These habits even today, still exists in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and never change their atittudes and make very strong rules.
Some times, an educated guy tries to stop and change the customary principles, all the villagers reject him, means, they don't like the new rules they brought.
Therefore, all the educated and the government workers don't want to go and see and visit their relatives and tribesmen at home unless they change their atittudes.
The second house is for the whole family.
In that house, any body can be entered to cook food and had sleeping bed rooms also.
The single quarter houses are for those without wives and family. They are only for youth boys seperated from youth girls. Young girls never entered boys house even a blood sister unless they are allowed.
Young girls have no own houses but they live with parents and control by them.
The highlands culture and customary principles are very strong even today. If a visitor from another place go another, they must study their customary culture first before they might think he was spoken and doing crazy things.