North of New Guinea runs the Sepik river full of crocodiles. Today is a very special day, women and men dance around tambaranes, crocodile-shaped bamboo buildings, the creator of heaven and earth to these tribes. This party looks like a festival. The women are not allowed to enter. <br /> <br />The tambaran is a kind of structure usually located in the middle of a village, far from the water when the river overflows its banks. The drawings and decorations represent gods, prophecies, and scenes from daily life. <br />Tambarans are built out of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves. Also known as boat-houses, they are inhabited by important spirits and village life revolves around them. <br />Their shape is very reminiscent of a crocodile on the Sepik. <br />Inside the tambaran men call upon the spirits with ritual music and magic. <br /> <br />It seems that this is a special day… Saint Croc perhaps? The men have put on their best traditional clothes to invoke the presence of their gods. <br />The tambaran is exclusively for men. No women or uninitiated males are allowed to enter. <br />They dance around the tambaran to call upon their protective deities. <br />A real place of worship to a fearsome man-eater. To these people the Sepik crocodile is the creator of heaven and earth.
