The Angu, also called Kukukuku by neighbouring tribes, is a small and previously violent tribe living mainly in the high, mountainous region of south-western Morobe

Morobe

Morobe may refer to several places in Papua New Guinea:*Morobe Province*Morobe, Papua New Guinea*Morobe Goldfield *Morobe Bay...

, a province of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

. Even though they are a short people, often less than 5 foot, they were once feared for their violent raids on more peaceful villages living in lower valleys.

Despite the high altitude and cold climate of their homeland, the Angu only wore limited clothing, including grass skirts, with a piece similar to a sporran

Sporran

The Sporran is a traditional part of male Scottish Highland dress. It is a pouch that performs the same function as pockets on the pocketless Scottish kilt....

, and cloaks made from beaten bark, called mals.

They are also known to Westerners for practicing a sexual ritual involving pre-adolescent boys acting as courtesan

Courtesan

A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...

s for male tribal elders.

An account of some of the first contact between the Angu and westerners is describe vividly by J. K. McCarthy in his book Patrol into Yesterday: My New Guinea Years.

External links

• A New Venture into the Unknown, booklet produced by the Melanesian Mission on their proposed mission to the Kukukuku people of New Guinea, 1935.
• "Kukukuku, the Angu people, Papua New Guinea" by Carolyn Leigh, Art-Pacific, August 19, 2002, retrieved December 28th, 2005