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Fire Dances and Spear Dances

The Baining, including the Qaqet, are famous for their spectacular Fire Dances and Spear Dances – dances that feature in all travel guides to Papua New Guinea, and that are performed at national and regional festivals such as the annual East New Britain Mask Festival.

  • Fire Dancers lining up before the men’s bamboo orchestra.

  • Ningum Fire Dancers.

  • Ningum and Langika Fire Dancers.

  • A Langika Fire Dancer.

  • Tying the rope that will hold the spear to the back of the Spear Dancer.

  • Fastening the rosette and shaft for a Spear Dancer.

  • Spear Dancers lining up.

  • The women’s bamboo orchestra accompanying the Spear Dancers.

  • Baining mask in the upper right corner. The reverse side of Papua New Guinea’s 50 Kina banknote depicts a Fire Dance mask. These dances are still being regularly performed in the Qaqet villages. Below you can listen to songs and music played at the two dances.

Orchestra accompanying a Spear Dance: