Those 100-foot Korowai tree houses are mostly built for film crews
The Korowai tree houses, often depicted in media as traditional dwellings, are primarily constructed for film crews and tourists. These structures, which can reach heights of 100 feet, have become props rather than authentic homes. The fascination with these tree houses stems from a Western narrative that misrepresents their cultural significance and practicality.
- ▪The BBC staged a scene featuring a Korowai family climbing a tree house, leading to public apologies after the truth was revealed.
- ▪Most Korowai tree houses are built for tourists and film crews, with local men earning between $300 to $1,000 for these constructions.
- ▪Research indicates that the height of these tree houses is more related to fear of neighbors than to prestige.
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Those 100-foot Korowai tree houses are mostly built for film crews Ellsworth Toohey 3:04 pm Mon May 18, 2026 Image: Depositphotos.com The BBC's Human Planet showed a Korowai family in Papua climbing a bamboo ladder into a hut roughly 100 feet up in an ironwood tree, while the narrator declared height equals prestige in their culture. British tabloids later revealed the scene was staged — the BBC paid a family to build the house for the cameras, then apologized to viewers. Writer Robert Moor digs into the rest of that story in a Lapham's Quarterly essay adapted from his new book In Trees: An Exploration. Those dwellings are mostly props for tourists and TV crews.
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