The Marind or Marind-Anim are an ethnic group of New Guinea, residing in the province of South Papua, Indonesia.

They occupy a vast territory, which is situated on either side of the Bian River, from about 20 miles to the east of Merauke, up to the mouth of the Moeli River in the west (between Frederik Hendrik Island and the mainland; east of Yos Sudarso Island, mainly west of the Maro River (a small area goes beyond the Maro at its lower part, including Merauke).

Originally, either sago or coconut palm trees were planted, though stretches of bamboo could also be found.

The Dutch colonial administration forbade head hunting and ritual homosexuality, and also the rites in which many men had intercourse with one woman.

These rituals accelerated the spread of the sexually transmitted diseases, in particular, granuloma inguinale (donovanosis) which erupted in a major epidemic from 1912 onwards.

[3] By this time the Marind had already experienced a marked reduction of birth rates, mainly attributable to earlier introduction of gonorrhoea to the Pacific region.

[4] Thanks to the efforts of the Missionary of the Sacred Heart, Petrus Vertenten, the Dutch government was alerted about the critical situation of the Marind, who due to the spread of the disease and their own particular practices were now risking extinction.

Ancestor veneration had a characteristic form here: these mythological ancestors were demon-like figures, they featured in myths, and acted as culture heroes, arranging the ancient world to its then recent state, introducing plants, animals, cultural goods.