According to research conducted in September 1996 by Danish anthropologist Ton Otto from
Aarhus University, the Mudmen tradition emerged from the village of Komunive in the Asaro Valley of the
Eastern Highlands Province. Sometime in the late 19th century, a man from the village named Bukiro Pote supposedly travelled to the nearby
Watabung area, where he learnt of the practice known as
bakime of using white sap to obscure one's features during an attack. Bukiro Pote extended this into
girituwai, in which mud was used to cover a frame that rests on the head. Holes were put into the mud for vision. This could be used for disguise during assassinations, although it was not the formal dress suitable for warfare. The practice was adopted by others in the village. It was reportedly revived by Ruipo Okoroho, grandson of Bukiro Pote, for the 1957
Eastern Highlands Agricultural Show. Ruipo Okoroho was asked to showcase a cultural practice of his village, and sought community agreement to develop
girituwai instead of using the traditional formal wear of the village. It was likely for this fair that the masks became more elaborate works of art rather than simply being functional, and that the body was painted white to match the mask. The 200 mask-wearers who attended the fair won first prize in the tribal finery contest. It is likely that legends of the fear evoked by the mudmen masks come from this and subsequent fairs, rather than any older tradition. The masks were named
holosa by another tribe, a name adopted by the Asaro. A dance was created to match the masks, evoking the idea that the wearer's bones were broken and that the movements were to swat away flies attracted to rotting flesh. The current elaborate form of the Mudmen tradition, including the mythical backstories, dance, and modern design, likely developed as tourism grew. According to one account, the Asaro tribe was defeated by an enemy tribe and sought refuge in the
Asaro River. There, they encountered a man who granted them the ability to kill with their eyes. They waited until dusk to escape, but one of them was captured. When the captured member emerged from the muddy banks covered in mud, the enemy mistook him for a spirit and fled in fear, as many tribes in Papua New Guinea are fearful of spirits. Believing they had encountered a supernatural force, the enemy tribesmen fled back to their village and performed a special ceremony to ward off the spirits. The mudmen were unable to conceal their faces because it was believed that the mud from the Asaro River was poisonous. Instead, they crafted masks from heated pebbles and water from the waterfall. Another version suggests that the tradition originated when a wedding guest could not find a traditional wedding costume, and instead "took an old bilum (a string bag), cut two holes for his eyes, dipped it mud and also covered his skin with mud". According to this story, other guests fled believing the wearer was a ghost, inspiring the wearer to use similar costumes to scare away a rival tribe. Commonalities among the origin stories include elements of surprise, warfare, and of resemblance to ghosts. Such elements and their exaggerations in different retellings likely developed local appeal, as well as making an attractive tale for modern tourists. ==Design==