The west Papua in Indonesia, just like the other provinces in the country, keeps the diversity. One of them is about the local culture and traditions which are so interesting to see.
Besides that, it also has various kinds of tribes which have the different traditions too. One of the tribes that must be known is the Lani.
It is one of the ethnic groups that live in the Jawawijaya Mountains. Some of their territory is a vast and beautiful valley and is divided by the flow of the Ilarong River.
Culture settled after the marriage is known as virilokal. That means after marriage the bride and groom lived around the neighborhood of the husband’s relatives.
Cremation as the Death Ritual
Just like some places in this universe, the Lani tribe in west Papua uses cremation as their traditional funeral system. That becomes a common thing to see there.
Usually, this system is done for the whole people in the Baliem valley. Baliem valley itself is a location where this ethnic group is living.
The cremation system is done for the whole causes of death. The examoles are like those who are death because of the old age, illness, Or even killed.
You can say that this ritual is still so sacred. The people there are still having the thick pre-historic believe and trust, especially for the ancient spirits.
The aim of this Local Tradition
Generally, the cremation ceremonial in the west Papua is done due to some reasons. Besides the aim above, there is another thing to understand.
That ritual is done to maintain the cosmos balance. The people hope that it is able to give the salvation for the death spirit or even the families.
For your information, this tradition has some steps before the dead body is cremated. Following the steps are essential as a symbol of respect.
Besides that, the people there also think that the complete or full processes are recommended. It is especially to reach the aim that they want.
The Steps of Cremation in the West Papua
As it was said before, there are some steps and levels of cremations. Below are the complete lists of those orders.
- The Stone burning ceremony
Before burning the dead body, the locals will do the stone burning ceremony. Sometimes they also say it as a party where te family have to sacrifice some pigs.
So, how many pigs that needs to be sacrificed? The interesting thing is that the amount of pigs that must be killed depends on the position of the dead person.
It means that if he has the important and high position in the society, the family must to sacrifice more pigs. That is the common rule to follow.
- Preparing the firewood
The Lani tribe in that west Papua region uses the firewood to burn the dead body. However, they don’t use any kinds of wood.
That wood must be from the casuarina trees. After that, they need to dig a hole which is one meter depth.
That hole is used to burying the dead body ashes. The Firewood is arranged to form a quadrangling, adjacent to the hole dug.
- Positioning the dead body
The corpse was placed in a sitting position on top of a pile of wood. Then pieces of wood were arranged on top of the corpse, so that the corpse was no longer visible.
Furthermore, the burning of bodies was carried out. The burning fire ignited from the top of the firewood arrangement.
After the cremation, the bones are then collected. The ashes and bones are then inserted to the hole which was prepared before.
- Different district has the different rules
West Papua has various kinds of districts. That is why; each of them have the different rules room; it is even in how to place the stones as a sign.
For the Kelila District area, as a marker the stone is placed on the grave. While in the ilugwa district, around the cemetery is made a fence.
If the cemetery is located near the honai, it is always cleaned and when the fence is damaged it is always repaired. How if the location is quite far?
If the cemetery is located far from honai is for the example. In the old village or former garden, it is usually left alone.
- How to express the condolence
The old people in the west Papua has an extreme and unique way to express their condolence. They cut off one of the joints of the female fingers using an axe.
Cutting fingers is done as markers of death and tributes to the relatives of the deceased. They believe the spirits of the deceased will appreciate the pain suffered or their grief.
Based on several reasons, this action is prohibited right now. However, it will become a memorable culture in the west Papua.
