A woman looks down the valley from Kassam Pass, Morobe Province. The beautiful landscape of Papua New Guinea’s highlands belies the brutal reality of life in the region, where more than 90 percent of women report suffering gender-based violence.
Peia Kararaua, 16, swims in the flooded area of Aberao village. Kiribati is one of the countries most affected by sea level rise. During high tides many villages become inundated making large parts of them uninhabitable.
The Snake Woman, one of today’s remaining Molfars, has worked with serpents all her life. She knows how to use their poison to cure diseases and treat snake bites. This wisdom came to the Snake Woman from her mother, when she was 13. Her mother also learned it from her mother when she was 13. This tradition extends far into her matriarchal lineage. When the Snake Woman received her knowledge, there were no hospitals and the wisdom of traditional healers was sought to cure illness and disease. Molfars would also forecast weather, advise when to organise feasts or celebrations, and predict plagues.
The mirror of yourself.