Wigs are made from human hair or netted plant fibers. They are embellished with flowers, leaves and especially with feathers. Pearl shells, and other sea shells, are also important symbols of wealth and power. Important social and political messages are transmitted through ornaments and wigs, and the stronger the message, the more elaborate the costume. The color and pattern of face paint is also an indicator of tribe, social rank and prestige.
Different individuals have different stories to tell with the decorations on their bodies.
The Eastern Highlands Show is a juxtaposition of the traditional, modern and post-modern. Young men and women with painted faces, their bodies glistening with tree oil, rock and sway to the beat of sangguma, a modern music whose sound recalls the Reggae of Jamaica. Away from the dust and din of the dancing ground, there are stalls which sell t-shirts, soda, hot dogs, souvenirs, Goroka coffee, and bibles. Some even took enemy heads as trophies of victory, or as sources of supernatural power. Perhaps no more than time and space.