You are currently viewing The Uniqueness Tribes in Papua and One Of Them is the Tradition of Cutting Fingers

The Uniqueness Tribes in Papua and One Of Them is the Tradition of Cutting Fingers

 Papua is a province in Indonesia located on the island of New Guinea or west New Guinea. Papua also received the title as the largest province in Indonesia with an area of 319,036.05 square kilometers. Here we will discuss about uniqueness tribes in Papua.

The Uniqueness Tribes in Papua

The area of Papua is equivalent to 16.64 percent of the entire territory of Indonesia. With this area, there are 255 indigenous tribal groups with their customs and culture that inhabit this Cendrawasih Earth.

Asmat

 Asmat tribe is one of the largest tribes living in Papua. Asmat people are famous for their worldwide sculptures and carvings. Unlike other tribes in the interior of Papua, the Asmat people consume sago as their main food. In addition, the origin of the Asmat people also has a uniqueness tribes in Papua story and is closely related to the art of carving and carving.

Asmat people have a belief that they come from Fumeripits (the Creator). Fumeripits is said to have washed ashore and was rescued by a flock of birds. Then he lived alone in a new area, and because of loneliness he built a long house filled with wooden statues decorated with his own carvings. But because he is still lonely, he then beats tifa every day.

Suddenly the statues he made moved to the rhythm of the drum that was being played. The statues then turned into living human forms and danced to the beat of the drums with their legs slightly apart and their knees moving left and right. This is the uniqueness tribes in Papua.

Dani

Dani tribe is also one of the largest tribes in Papua who inhabit mountainous areas. Baharinawati W. Hastanti in her journal entitled Environmental Conditions and Socio-Cultural Characteristics for Watershed Management said that the Dani Tribe is the oldest tribe that inhabits the Baliem Valley.

The uniqueness tribes in Papua that is Dani tribe is only from its traditional house which is named Honai. One of the Dani traditions is niki paleg or cutting fingers as an expression of condolences. Fingers are cut when a close family member dies. Apart from being an expression of condolences, this is also done to prevent calamities that can befall other family members.

Korowai  

The tree house inhabited by  Korowai Tribe. Korowai tribe is known as a tribe that lives in tree houses. Height of the tree house inhabited by  Korowai Tribe can reach 15-50 meters above ground level. Korowai Tribe is also known for stories about the practice of cannibalism.

Paul Raffaele who carried out an expedition into the jungles of Papua in 2006 wrote that the Korowai tribe killed and ate the khakhua. Khakhua is a witch who takes on the form of a man and causes a mysterious death. This is because the Korowai tribe does not know viruses and germs, so they assume that if someone dies mysteriously then khakhua is the cause. This is one of uniqueness tribes in Papua.

For them, khakhua should be killed by eating and believe that it is the best system of justice. This tribe is one of the tribes in Papua who inhabit the area around the Muyu River, Northeast of Merauke. Read also Learn About the Three Typical Tribes of West Papua that you need to know.

Muyu

One of the uniqueness tribes in Papua with cultural products of the Muyu Tribe, namely Ot, is designated as an intangible cultural heritage. Launching the Kemendikbud website, Ot is a dowry that has been used for generations by the Muyu people in Boven Digoel Regency, Papua.

The Ot given by the male to the female is called Amot. After giving the dowry, the man immediately gets the right to his wife. Later, some of the dowry will be returned in the form of Yiminip and Munop. The amount of the dowry makes the presence of a girl in a family in the Muyu tribe a source of amot (wealth).

Amungme Tribe

The Amungme tribe is called the oldest tribe on Earth of Cendrawasih which is famous for having strong ties to the mountains ng. For the Amungme Tribe, the mountain and its surroundings are a sacred place that must be protected. This is also what makes the Amungme Tribe also sued the original village of the Amungme tribe in the north and south of the Jayawijaya (Carstensz) mountains. This is one of uniqueness tribes in Papua.

There are information about uniqueness tribes in Papua. Hope this article is useful.