West Papua has many interesting cultural diversities that will always amaze us. Dani tribe is one of the local tribes in this province. They are living in Lembah Baliem. They mostly live in between Bukit Ersberg and Grasberg. This location is rich in gold, silver and, bronze.
Dani tribe has been known for hundred years ago as skilful farmers and they are good in using tools from the earlier ages. The archaeologists said they already used things like stone axes, bone knives, bamboo, and spear.
Many men of this tribe are still wearing “koteka” (male genital cover); koteka is the famous traditional clothes from West Papua, made from a dried-out gourd.
The women of this province usually wear “yokal” and “sali”. Yokal is worn by married women. It usually has reddish and terracotta color and is made from wood skin. Sali is worn by single women, and it looks like a brown skirt and is made from wood skin.
Now, Sali is worn by women and men in West Papua for certain events. For hair accessories, the women will wear headpieces made from Kasuari bird feathers and dried sago leaves.
Iki Palek Tradition
Every tribe has their rite to show their grieves when they lost their loved ones. Dani tribe has an extreme tradition in expressing their grieves. For them, togetherness is very important. Hence, when they lost their family, they will cut their finger joint. This tradition is called Iki Palek.
Iki Palek tradition is their way to show their loyalty to their loved ones. It is also the means to express how painful their loss is, and it is excruciating. When a close relative is dead, either husband or children, women will cut their finger. They will use an axe or traditional knife but sometimes cut their finger by biting it.
Finger is a symbol of peace, unity, and power within humans and families. The majority of the people who practice Iki Palek are women, but men also express their sadness. They cut their finger based on how many people had died in their family. This tradition actually has its romantic value. They have this very deep feeling for the loss of their loved ones.
The background of Iki Palek
According to this West Papua tribe, weeping is not enough to show sadness and grief. The pain from the cut finger is regarded as something excruciating; this is how they feel when their heart and soul has torn away. This is why cutting their finger is the best representation of the pain they feel now.
Another reason is, as mentioned above, finger is a symbol of unity and strength. Based on this belief, this body part represents unity in a family, family name, home, tribe, ancestry, language, history, and root.
In West Papua language, it is called as “Wene opakima dapulik welaikarek mekehasik”. When combined, the shape and length of the fingers are powerful, and they can make any task easier. Each of the fingers works together; thus, the hand can completely function. When we lose one of the fingers, it means our strength will be decreased. They put a deep meaning to it.
The way they do Iki Palek
As we have known before, when they practice the Iki Palek, they will cut their finger with tools like a stone axe and traditional knife and even bite their own finger. However, they will rarely bind their finger with a strand of string for a while until there is no blood running within their finger. They block the blood vessel in this area. When the bloodstream has stopped, then they will cut this blocked finger.
The number of fingers they will cut is based on who was dead. When their parent died, they will cut two fingers away. When their sibling was dead, they will cut one finger.
The pain is hard to describe, but this symbolizes love and loyalty, expressing their sadness and great loss.
Iki Palek in Modern Days
Nowadays, in West Papua, Iki Palek is started to be left by the community because of the development of knowledge and religion.
However, we still can find some of the elderly from the Dani tribe who has lost their fingers as a part of the Iki Palek tradition. Sometimes, they even lost all of their fingers.
Conclusion
This unique tradition may be a bit extreme for modern people to understand. However, it has a deep meaning and an important event for the Dani tribe to express how they feel for their beloved family. This culture is a unique heritage in West Papua, Indonesia. It is very philosophical and also romantic to a certain extent.
