A village elder gets the party started at a pig festival in the Baliem Valley, West Papua.
During these festivals a pig is slaughtered and roasted on an open fire. It’s then buried in the ground on a layer of hot rocks, where it finishes cooking alongside various root vegetables.
While the feast is being prepared, women of the village dance and sing while others make sure the fire keeps burning.
By contrast, most of the menfolk sit to the side and smoke hand-rolled cigarettes, only joining in to kill the pig and strip its flesh.
The Baliem Valley is one of the most exciting and confounding places I’ve ever visited. I hope my travels take me back there one day.
