KOMBAY TRIBE in Papua

The Kombai tribe are a Papuan people living in the eastern most of Indonesian, part of the new province of South Papua, more specifically in Wanggemalo sub district of Mappi Regency. The Kombay tribe is the neighborhoods of Koroway tribe, the both tribe mostly have the same character and the way of life. The total population of Kombai tribe is about 5,650 approximately.

The Kombai people live in clans, each clan having its own territory in the forest. Certain areas of the forest are not inhabited, as they are believed to be sacred lands meant for the spirits. Each clan has a large treehouse where male tribesmen sleep, while women sleep in small huts on the ground. This sacred tree house is thought to act as a defense from enemy attacked, and is closely guarded by men with bows and arrows. Like many other Papua ethnic tribes, the Kombai people are hunter-gatherers. Beside Sago as their staple food, the protein they get from the hunt the pigs and other animals with traps, or using dogs to track down and kill their prey. In order to fish, the Kombai build small dams in the stream and pour a poison from a toxic root into the water, this technic will force the fish to come out to the surface, making them easy to catch.

The Kombai also eat the larvae of the capricorn beetle, called sago grub, which is considered a delicacy. To harvest them, a sago tree is cut down and left for a month, then wrapped in leaves and left to rot for three months, after which time the larvae are collected. This traditional food is used in festivities with neighboring clans and tribes to strengthen social ties.