"SENSES" Indonesian Papuan Tribal Cruise

Tim, Bronty and Bill O'Leary recently were invited by Douglas and Barbara Myers to join them on board their superyacht "Senses" for an amazing exploritary cruise in remote eastern Indonesia.

The trip departed from Darwin where the O'Leary's met the Myers and flew private plan to Merauke on the Papua / PNG border. They were met there by a group of Papuan Quarantine Health department officials and temperatue checked to see if they had H1N1 virus. Then the vessel helicopter arrived and they were flown to the vessel standing  by in the bay.

The tour guide and boat agent was Bill's best friend Captian Jimmy Blee from Indonesian Marine Services who's lived in Indonesia for 15 years and is the best superyacht agent and guide in the Republic. Ben Lagos and Vivian Villalia were also on board as guests. Ben is a professional photographer and film-maker with his own company FILMCAKE. Vivian is a Brazilian model and actress. The team was assembled.

The next 10 days were a blur of helicopter flights, wild Asmat river tribe rituals, remote Treehouse tribe visits, amazing fishing and scuba diving.

Below are a few of Bill's favorite shots from the most amazing adventure ever undertaken by the O'Leary clan.

Thanks Douglas and Barbara! You're the most gracious generous and awesome people on the planet. Yahoooooooooooooooo

This pastey-faced warrior was one of the Asmat river tribesmen who came with 300 other painted men on dugout canoes to meet our boat as we motored up the river. Amazing.

This Asmat Tribeswoman was one of 100 or more semi-naked dancers awaiting us at the river village

This guy was the local medican man - this is a real bone he put in his nose for us.

These guys were at the river village and we liked their wigs and face paintings

Asmut villagers beating out a drum beat for alll the dancers

Asmut village boatman in warrior outfit

Here's four Asmut village dudes in front of our chopper. Old and new together - amazing

Check out this blokes eyes. Glaucoma going on there me thinks. Cus cus fur on his melon.

This one is interesting. The bone he's holding is a leg bone from a human. They used to be cannibals and head hunters not too long ago, and after my trip there, I think maybe still are in some areas. They also use human and Cassowary leg bones as knives. They cut the bone about 10 inces from the knuckle on an angle and hone the edge to a very fine point. They keep them in arm bands on there right shoulders. Cutting edge out - killed another human, cutting edge in - not yet had the honour.

 This old bird caught my attention, she was dancing round like a loon singing and cheering with an empty water bottle. Had to wonder what was probably inside it. Although, it was an alcohol free village - so the guides assured us.

This bloke gives new meaning to bizarre. That's a pigs jaw he's got tied to his melon with green polypropaline rope. He was a treat and I just had to get a picture of the contraption.

This was the first thing we saw after motoring up this Papuan creek for many miles. Kinda trippy until we saw up around the corner...

This... Hundreds of brightly painted warriors in single tree dugout canoes. They surrounded us and began to shout and cheer and sing and dance as they escorted us up the river and into their village. Amazing... So much noise and colour and emotion. Impossible to catch the atmosphere in these pictures. Far too much going on at one time.

Ashore the women were preparing a dance of their own...

The older ladies I found most entertaining. There they were all painted up half naked, with long hanging breasts waving round as they proudly chanted and stomped out the tribal songs. Even some of the younger women and girls were half naked and this was entirely normal for the tribe; but I must admit it was all a bit overwhelming for me to see so many obviously unashamed and uninhibited human beings enjoying their physicality, combined heritage and spirituality together.

The combined physical, emotional and spiritual impact of this session on me was / still is, most profound.

Two days river travel and a half day trek into the jungle ( or 1hour 20 by chopper ) is another tribe, even more remote and primitive than the river tribes. The Treehouse people. Only recently discovered, these tribes are small and mobile, living only part of the year in any one place. Nomadic hunters and gatherers they build themselves huge treehouses up 25-30 metres off the ground to keep them safe from other tribes who may steal their food or their women. I was humbled by these people's strength of character and survival instincts. They truly are one of the most isolated groups in existence and globalization is about to find them - and - for better or worse - that will be that. Here's my personal images of what I beleive to be some of the last remaining truly authenic natives on planet earth. These individuals had never seen Europeans before our visit. For this reason, I'll never disclose exactly where we found them.

These warriors are from a tribe living in the forrest about 150 miles inland off the south coast of Papua.

They live in tree houses and hunt wild pigs.

This is one of the treehouse tribesmen with this archery gear. The strange penis storage system looks uncomfortable...

These guys came out to meet our chopper. 

Me and one of the treehut tribe hunters

Beautiful Bronty Josephine O'Leary with a Papuan Treetribe woman who just gave her the beautiful parrot feather dilly-bag

Timothy John O'Leary with a young Papuan Treetribe woman carrying her baby on her back.

Bill O'Leary and Manop the leader of the treetop tribe

Jungle man meets very sweaty man. Sweaty man understands the need for no clothes in this environment

MORE TO COME