HOW DO WE SUPPORT THEM?
Community Support and Tourism Development in Korekoreto
For over ten years, Indigo Safaris, through its Best of PNG brand, has supported local communities by organizing day tours and overnight stays in the village of Korekoreto.
To help the villagers grow their own tourism activities, Indigo Safaris created and maintains the guesthouse's website, allowing them to promote their accommodation and welcome visitors independently.
The team also provides ongoing advice and training to help local hosts confidently engage with international guests.
These visits are designed to encourage authentic cultural exchange. Guests can explore the village and its surroundings, join in traditional cooking, or relax by the nearby river while learning about everyday life in Papua New Guinea.
Visitors are also invited to support the community by bringing small, useful gifts such as school supplies, head torches, or batteries, and by purchasing local handicrafts like bilums (woven bags), Mudmen statues, and necklaces. These sales create valuable extra income for the villagers.
Because most tourism activity happens around the Goroka Show in September, income from these visits can be irregular throughout the year.
Cocoa Plantation Project: Building Long-Term Economic Sustainability
To help create a more sustainable source of revenue, the Indigo Earth Foundation launched a cocoa plantation project in September 2025. This exciting initiative came to life thanks to: Warmer local temperatures now suitable for cocoa cultivation; Strong global demand for high-quality cocoa beans; Connections made by the Foundation during the Goroka Show, including with a local cocoa seedling provider. As of November 2025, the project is well underway. The villagers have prepared a two-hectare plantation where at least 3,000 cocoa seedlings are being planted, an important step toward a more stable and independent future for the Korekoreto community.
WHO ARE THEY?
Long-Term Collaboration with the Asaro Community
In the village of Korekoreto, a 30-minute drive from Goroka, Best of PNG, the Papuan brand of Indigo Safaris, has been collaborating with the community for the past ten years.
Each year before the Goroka Show, and at various times throughout the year, Indigo Safaris brings guests for a full-day visit to the Asaro village, with accommodation provided in the village guesthouse. This village is home to the Asaro Mudmen, one of the most iconic tribes of Papua New Guinea, known for their unique and powerful story.
Origins and Evolution of the Asaro Mudmen Tradition
According to tradition, a man named Bukiro Pote travelled to the Warabung area and learned to cover himself in white sap to disguise his features during attacks or assassinations. Over time, additional elements were added, and the costume evolved. The mask was first made from a bamboo frame and a billum (woven bag) covered in mud with two holes for the eyes, eventually becoming the distinctive mud mask we know today.
In 1957, during their participation in the first Goroka (Eastern Highlands) Cultural Show, Bukiro Pote's grandson, from the Asaro tribe, organized a performance featuring 200 mask wearers marching. Their eerie presence made a lasting impression and even fear among the spectators. The group won the competition and became one of the most recognized and celebrated tribes in Papua New Guinea.
Meaning and Symbolism Behind the Mudmen Performance
The performance of the Asaro Mudmen evolved over time. Referred to as Holosa, meaning ghosts or spirits, their movements developed into a ghost-like walk designed to evoke fear, symbolizing the dead moving slowly with broken bones and decaying bodies, surrounded by flies driven away by the slow agitation of leaves. The performers aim to frighten the audience using bamboo “fingers,” bows and arrows, spears, and their distinctive grotesque mud masks.
Cultural Performances Experienced During the Village Visit
During the day trip to the Asaro village, guests can attend several traditional performances organized by the villagers and visiting groups from other provinces, such as
East New Britain dances
Chimbu women's performances
Siosio (the fertility dance performed by men)
The Skeleton Men or The legend of Masalai Omo
Presentations of Mudmen and Cannibalism legends
The program changes slightly each year.
A highlight of the visit is the traditional Mumu, a cooking method and communal feast in Papua New Guinea where food (such as meat, root vegetables, and greens) is slow-cooked in an underground pit lined with hot stones and banana leaves. The Mumu is reserved for special occasions like funerals, weddings, welcoming a spirit stone, and hosting visitors.
A Rare Cultural Gathering in the Asaro Village
The Asaro village receives very few tourists throughout the year; this special event is a unique occasion when villagers organize these performances and invite artists from neighbouring communities, such as the Skeleton Men and Chimbu women. A local game called the Greasy Pole is also held, where participants must climb a slippery pole to reach prizes tied at the top, a contest of teamwork and perseverance. For guests, attending this remarkable gathering is an honour, a rare opportunity to experience the living culture and deep traditions of Papua New Guinea firsthand.
Asaro village
Showcasing culture. Strengthening village livelihoods.
Developing local entrepreneurship. Preserving traditions while creating opportunity.
The Indigo Earth Foundation supports a guesthouse run by Asaro villagers in Papua New Guinea's Eastern Highlands by maintaining the website originally created by Indigo Safaris. Along with providing business advice and sending guests to stay, this initiative helps villagers earn income while sharing their unique culture with the world. In 2025, a new cocoa plantation project was launched to create a sustainable, year-round source of revenue for the community.
