The Fayu are an ethnic group that live in an area of swampland in New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

. When first contacted by westerners they numbered about 400; a number reduced from about 2000 due to violence within the group. The Fayu generally live in single family groups with gatherings of several such groups once or twice a year to exchange brides. Two books have been written about living among them by Sabine Kuegler

Sabine Kuegler

Sabine Kuegler is a German author. She has written several books, two of which have been translated into English...

 and the group are used as an example of a band type society

Band society

A band society is the simplest form of human society. A band generally consists of a small kin group, no larger than an extended family or clan; it has been defined as consisting of no more than 30 to 50 individuals.Bands have a loose organization...

 in Jared Diamond

Jared Diamond

Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author whose work draws from a variety of fields. He is currently Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA...

's Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.

External links

• Sabine Kuegler account of her time with the Fayu.
• 2007 Kuegler, Sabine Child of the Jungle: The True Story of a Girl Caught Between Two Worlds ISBN 1-84408-261-X