2019 Sepik River Crocodile & Arts Festival

The Sepik River Crocodile and Arts Festival is a three-day cultural celebration staged annually in Ambunti, East Sepik Province. The festival highlights the crocodile and its cultural significance to the communities living along the Sepik River. The Sepik River is one of the largest rivers in the Asia-Pacific region and is home to some of the world’s largest freshwater and saltwater crocodile populations. In Sepik culture man and crocodile share a special bond. The Crocodile symbolizes strength, power and manhood.  Skin-cutting initiations continue in Sepik River communities where men proudly wear scars cut into their skin during the rite of passage. These scars, resembling the back of a crocodile, run from shoulder to hip.