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The Kaluli people are an indigenous clan of approximately 2,000 to 12,000 individuals who reside in the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea. They are one of four language-clans of Bosavi kalu (men or people of Bosavi) and are known for their unique culture, including their belief in a spirit world, their communal longhouse living, and their egalitarian social structure. While they are not Australian, there is some debate about whether a group called the Bulloo River Kalali, who live in southwest Queensland, Australia, may have originated by the Bulloo River and migrated to the Wilson River, or vice versa.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,000 to 12,000 |
| Location | Great Papuan Plateau, Papua New Guinea |
| Language | Non-Austronesian |
| Lifestyle | Hunting, gathering, and subsistence farming |
| Political structure | Egalitarian, no formal leadership |
| Spirituality | Believe in a spirit world with "shadow" counterparts in the form of animals |
| Housing | Longhouses and smaller dwellings for extended families |
| Diet | Sago, bananas, pandanus, breadfruit, green vegetables, fish, small game, wild and domestic pigs |
| Social structure | Matrilineal, with men as heads of the tribe |
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What You'll Learn
Kaluli people are indigenous to Papua New Guinea
The Kaluli people are indigenous to Papua New Guinea, where they live in the tropical rainforests of the Southern Highlands Province, on the Great Papuan Plateau near Mount Bosavi. They are one of four language-clans of Bosavi kalu ("men or people of Bosavi"), who speak non-Austronesian languages. The name Kaluli, with the addition of the suffix -li, directly translates to "real people of Bosavi." The Kaluli population ranges from 2,000 to 12,000 people, living in approximately 20 longhouse communities.
The Kaluli are highly egalitarian, without a hierarchical authority or ranked social structure. Wealth and power are determined by ownership of a longhouse, food, and trade goods. They are swidden agriculturalists, with sago as their staple food. They also hunt and fish, and their diet is supplemented by garden-cultivated bananas, pandanus, breadfruit, and green vegetables.
Kaluli culture is deeply connected to the land, and their longhouses are an integral part of their identity. Each longhouse is home to approximately 15 families, or 60 to 90 people, and they serve as autonomous communities. The Kaluli also have a rich spiritual tradition, believing in a spirit world coextensive with the everyday world and inhabited by various types of spirits. They place great importance on legends and myths, which provide insight into their origins and customs.
The Kaluli have a unique system of kinship terminology, where all kin two or more generations distant are called maemu ("grandfather" or "grandchild"). Marriage is arranged and facilitated by the elders of the groom's longhouse, under the leadership of the groom's father. Their traditional dress and body decoration, known as "bilas," play a central role in their ceremonies and rituals, using natural materials and pigments sourced from the surrounding forest.
The Kaluli are the most numerous and well-documented of the four Bosavi kalu clans, and their homeland in the Southern Highlands District of Papua New Guinea is one of the most remote places on Earth.
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They live in 20 longhouse communities
The Kaluli people are an indigenous tribe from Papua New Guinea. They are not Australian, but they live in the Southern Highlands Province on the Great Papuan Plateau near Mount Bosavi.
The Kaluli people live in 20 longhouse communities, which are more than just dwellings. These longhouses represent the clan's identity and symbolize their deep connection to the land, an integral aspect of Kaluli culture. Each longhouse is an autonomous community, housing approximately 15 families or 60 to 90 people. The longhouses are built at the centre of the community and are elevated structures, about 18 meters by 9 meters, with a veranda at the front and rear.
The interior of the longhouse is not separated by gender. The women, children, and piglets sleep in the passageways down the sides, while the married men's sleeping platforms alternate with cooking hearths and meat-smoking racks above. The married women's sleeping platforms are partitioned off from the men's and follow the same pattern, with a wife occupying the platform directly across from her husband. Very young children sleep with their mothers, while older male children and bachelors sleep together at the back of the longhouse, and marriageable women sleep communally at the front.
The longhouse serves as a primary residence and a central gathering place for the community. It functions as a town hall, hosting community meetings, meals, and indoor activities. The hallway and the space near the front and back doors are public areas. The area surrounding the longhouse is cleared of forest growth, with small outbuildings to house visitors and some land planted with bananas, pitpit, and sugarcane. The longhouses are also inhabited by pigs, which serve as "watchdogs" because they make noises at strangers.
In addition to their longhouses, the Kaluli people also build and maintain extensive gardens, hunt, and fish. They are swidden agriculturalists, with sago as their staple food. Their diet is supplemented by garden-cultivated bananas, pandanus, breadfruit, and green vegetables, as well as fish, small game, wild pig, and occasionally domestic pig.
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They are a highly egalitarian society
The Kaluli people are an indigenous clan of approximately 2,000 to 12,000 individuals who live in the tropical rainforests of the Great Papuan Plateau in Papua New Guinea. They are a highly egalitarian society, with no hierarchical authority or ranked social structure. This means that they do not recognise any formal positions of leadership within their communities.
The Kaluli people live in 20 longhouse communities, which serve as more than just dwellings but also as symbols of their clan identity and deep connection to the land. Each longhouse is home to approximately 15 families, or 60 to 90 people, and is surrounded by several smaller homes in a clearing. The interior of a longhouse is not separated by gender, with women, children, and piglets sleeping in the passageways down the sides. The longhouses also house pigs, which serve as "watchdogs" due to the noises they make at strangers.
Despite the lack of formal leadership, wealth and power among the Kaluli people are recognised and respected. Wealth is determined by the ownership of a longhouse, food, and the amount of trade goods. The methods of informal sanction are through the wealthy and elders, who also play a role in arranging marriages. The Kaluli people are swidden agriculturalists, with sago as their food staple. They maintain extensive gardens and supplement their diet with cultivated bananas, pandanus, breadfruit, green vegetables, fish, small game, wild pig, and occasionally domestic pig.
The Kaluli people were traditionally animistic, believing in a spirit world that is coextensive with the everyday world of nature and subject to the same laws but imperceptible to humans. Every human is believed to have a spirit "shadow" in the form of a wild pig or cassowary, and these shadows are linked to their human counterparts, sharing injuries and deaths. The spirit world also includes different types of spirits, such as the "ane kalu" (spirits of the dead), "mamul" (who keep mostly to themselves but whose ceremonial dances cause thunderstorms during rainy seasons), and "kalu hungo" ("dangerous men" inhabiting specific locations).
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Their staple food is sago
The Kaluli people are an indigenous clan of approximately 2,000 to 12,000 individuals who live in the tropical rainforests of the Great Papuan Plateau in Papua New Guinea. They are the most numerous and well-documented among the four language-clans of Bosavi kalu ("men or people of Bosavi"), speaking non-Austronesian languages.
The sago palm is an important part of the Kaluli diet and culture. Men in the community are responsible for the labor-intensive tasks associated with sago, including cutting down and processing the sago-palm trunk. The Kaluli people also have a rich and varied diet, including fish, crayfish, rodents, lizards, and vegetables. They are known for their hospitality and the sharing of food, which is a central aspect of their relationships and social norms.
In addition to its practical use, sago also holds cultural significance for the Kaluli people. Land tenure and ownership of sago groves are typically passed down from father to son, with the freedom to give, loan, or bequeath as desired. This sense of ownership fosters a deep connection to the land and a sense of community within the Kaluli culture.
The Kaluli people's staple food, sago, is not only a source of nutrition but also an integral part of their cultural and social practices, contributing to the unique identity of this indigenous clan in Papua New Guinea.
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They believe in a spirit world
The Kaluli people are an indigenous clan who live in the rain forests of the Great Papuan Plateau in Papua New Guinea. They are not Australian. The Kaluli people's belief in a spirit world is a central tenet of their culture.
Kaluli people believe that there is a spirit world that coexists with the everyday world of nature and is subject to the same laws, but it cannot be perceived directly. Every human is thought to have a spirit "shadow" in the form of a wild pig for males and a cassowary for females. These shadows wander about in the forests of Mount Bosavi, and a human and their shadow counterpart are linked, so if one's shadow is injured or dies, the human will sicken or die.
The shadow world is inhabited by three types of spirits: ane kalu (spirits of the dead), mamul, and kalu hungo ("dangerous men"). Ane kalu are kindly disposed to the living and can be called upon for assistance. Mamul are generally indifferent to humans, but they hunt on Mount Bosavi and may inadvertently kill a person's shadow animal. Their ceremonial dances are also believed to cause thunderstorms during the rainy seasons. Kalu hungo inhabit specific locations, such as creeks.
Mediums are men who have married spirit women in their dreams and can leave their physical bodies to walk in the spirit world. Spirits may enter a medium's body and speak through him during seances to help people cure illnesses, locate lost pigs, or identify witches. Witches (sei) can be male or female and are believed to be unaware of their evil nature, which prowls about at night seeking victims.
The Kaluli ceremonial life centres around the Gisaro, which involves songs and dancing performed for a host longhouse by visitors. The songs reference important places and people who have died but are remembered with fondness and grief.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the Kaluli people are indigenous to Papua New Guinea. They live in the remote jungles of the Great Papuan Plateau in the Southern Highlands Province.
The Kaluli people speak a non-Austronesian language called Kaluli. They are mostly monolingual.
The Kaluli people live in 20 longhouse communities, with around 15 families and about 60 to 90 people per longhouse. They also build and live in smaller, separate dwellings for two or more extended families.
