Tribal trip to West Papua: Dani and Korowai tribes

Discover the highlights of this tribal trip to West Papua

We will meet the Dani tribe

The Dani people are an ethnic group of about 90,000 people who live in the Baliem Valley of West Papua (Indonesia). Linguists identify at least four subgroups of Dani languages. These differentiate only two basic colors, 'mili' for cool/dark tones (such as blue, green and black) and 'mola' for warm/light colors (such as red, yellow and white). The main sustenance of the Dani people is pork and sweet potatoes, which are also used for barter. The social organization of the Dani people is determined by family and hereditary relationships and by territorial unity. Among their clothing, the 'koteka' (penis sheath) and a nose bead made from pig fangs stand out.

We will attend the Dani people's pig festival

The pig is the fetish animal of the Dani people, and different regional rituals and amulets have this animal as a motif. A couple of times a year, the festival of the pig ritual is organized, coinciding with some significant events. The celebration begins by lighting a bonfire, where the sacrificed pig will be roasted. During this ritual, the Dani adorn themselves with feathers, crowns and necklaces made of shells and ivory. They paint their faces and carry large spears, with more decorative than warlike purposes. Both men and women dance around the bonfire while singing polyphonic songs.

We will learn about the tradition of self-mutilation among Dani women

The women of the Dani tribe are still practicing a shocking tradition: when a male member of the family dies, the women carry out a process of voluntary self-mutilation. One or more phalanges of the fingers are removed with a knife (depending on the degree of closeness to the deceased) to demonstrate the suffering they are capable of offering for the person who is gone. At the same time, the pain associated with the personal losses they have had throughout their lives is marked on them (publicly visible).

We will discover the mysteries of the Wamena mummies

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Dani people had the ancient tradition of embalming the deceased wise men or chiefs of each village. Some of these original mummies remain hidden in sacred places in the valley. During this tribal trip to Papua we will try to observe some of these mummies.

The thanatopraxic practice used consisted of applying pork fat to the skin of the recently deceased and then fumigating the body for a hundred days in a row, which gave it a peculiar ebony color. The Dani mummies preserved the beads that the deceased was wearing at the moment of his death.

We will meet the Korowai people

The Korowai people are a primarily hunter-gatherer ethnic group. Sago palm flour is a fundamental part of their diet. Currently, it is believed that this ethnic group is made up of about 3,000 individuals, of whom only 150 already live inside the jungle. They are distributed in patrilineal clans, and marriages, in which the man has to pay a dowry to the woman's family after her first menstruation, are exogamous and polygamous.

Cannibalism stopped being practiced a couple of decades ago. When members of different clans attacked each other, the defeated were devoured by the victors as a way of imbibing the power and prestige of the rival. Furthermore, periodically, the wisest men in the group perform certain rituals in honor of a creator god in which delicacies made with sago and animistic spells are combined with animal sacrifices.

We will visit the majestic tree houses of the Korowai people

During this tribal trip to West Papua, we will have the privilege of visiting the legendary tree houses of the Korowai culture. These constructions rise up to 30 meters above the ground, using tall and robust banyan trees as their central axis. At the top is the house, which has a suspended floor made of branches and sticks and a roof made up of carefully intertwined leaves. The central structure and the door are made of branches fixed with rattan. Along the trunk of the tree, there is a fixed ladder that is erected with steps of the same material.

The reasons why the Korowai people build these homes at such a high altitude are the following: it offers protection against floods; it is easy to evacuate smoke when cooking; it allows you to keep your distance from dangerous animals (wild boars, snakes or disease-carrying insects); and it provides sighting and defense capabilities against enemies from other tribal groups.

We will accompany the Korowai to fish

During this tribal trip to West Papua, we will accompany the Korowai to fish, which is a good time to understand the daily habits of the locals. We will go with them to a nearby river. The Korowai use a kind of root for fishing that is crushed and dipped in water. This hook is poisonous to fish and other aquatic creatures. Another Korowai fishing technique is to block two sections of a small river and dry it.

Fish and other aquatic creatures will be a great reward for teamwork. We will get muddy and dirty and catch fish or frogs with our own hands. Children and old people will come to the river to fish. After such hard work, the locals will cook today's catch: fish, frogs or worms will be cooked on the fire. Together with the sago ball, these catches are eaten with great joy. The Korowai cook without spices; if they have a little salt, it will be the only ingredient that adds some flavor to the food.

© Photos by Aníbal Bueno taken during a tribal trip to West Papua (Indonesia).

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