The Kapauku are located in the West-central part of the Central Highlands of Western New Guinea. Their total population is approximately 45,000, and they are dispersed into small villages averaging about 120 peoples each.
They produce sweet potatoes (about 90 percent of the crop area is covered by this plant), sugar cane and taro. Fishes and small animals are also important foods for them. In addition, pigs are the main source of protein in their diet and also their principal domestic animal. They don't use metal. The only form of basketry is a braided rattan armlet. They also produce fishing nets, net bags, and string skirts using their stringmaking and netting skill. The tools they manufacture or use are stone axes, knives, and bone needles. Bows and arrows are used as weapons.
Leopold Pospisil, the major authority on the Kapauku states that the sib (tuma) is the most important traditional kin group. Members believe they are descended from a common ancestor. Some of the sibs are grouped into loose unions called phratries. Pospisil found that Sibs might also have distinct subdivisions. Each subsibs always belong to different political confederacies, and wage intermittent wars against each other. There is the specialist of sorcery (kego). The sorcerer is believed that he has supernatural power independent of any spirit helper. The sorcerer's status is low now, and feared and hated by most people. Sorcerer might be ostracized and even killed by the kin of presumed victims.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Kapauku.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.
If you are Kapauku, your feedback is much appreciated.
Souter, Gavin. NEW GUINEA: The last unknown
Cultural Summaries in the Database: Oceania: Kapauku. <http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/EthnoAtlas/societies.html>.
Written by: Mayumi Brooks