Dani people

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Dani
Hubula, Balim, Parim
Raiyani Muharramah Pria suku dani DSC 5025.jpg
A Dani man with custom accessories
Total population
90,000 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia (Highland Papua)
Languages
Dani languages, Indonesian language
Religion
Christianity (especially Protestant), Islam
Related ethnic groups
Hupla people, Lani people, Nduga people, Walak people, Wano people, Yali people

The Dani (also spelled Ndani) are an ethnic group from the Central Highlands of Western New Guinea in Baliem Valley, Highland Papua, Indonesia. Around 100,000 people live in the Baliem Valley, consisting of representatives of the Dani tribes in the lower and upper parts of the valley each 20,000 and 50,000 in the middle part (with a total of 90,000 people). The areas west of the Baliem Valley are inhabited by approx 180,000, representatives of the Lani people, incorrectly called "Western Dani". [1] All inhabitants of Baliem Valley and the surrounding areas are often called Dani hence they are also sometimes conflated with other highland tribes such as Lani in the west; Walak in the north; Nduga, Mek, and Yali in the south and east. [2]

Contents

They are one of the most populous tribes in the highlands and are found spread out through the highlands. The Dani are one of the best-known ethnic groups in Papua, due to the relatively numerous tourists who visit the Baliem Valley area where they predominate. "Ndani" is the name given to the Baliem Valley people by the Moni people, and while they call themselves "Hubula", they have been known as Dani since the 1926 Smithsonian Institution-Dutch Colonial Government expedition to New Guinea under Matthew Stirling who visited the Moni. [3] [2]

Language

Linguists identify at least four sub-groupings of Dani languages or Baliem Valley languages:

The Dani languages differentiate only two basic colours, mili for cool/dark shades such as blue, green, and black, and mola for warm/light colours such as red, yellow, and white. This trait makes it an interesting field of research for language psychologists, e.g. Eleanor Rosch, eager to know whether there is a link between the way of thought and language.

First contact with Europeans

A small fringe group of the Dani (technically Nduga), living south of Puncak Trikora and presenting themselves as the Pesegem and the Horip tribes, were met on 29 October 1909, by the Second South New Guinea Expedition led by Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz, who stayed several nights in their village. First contact with the populous Western Dani (Lani) was made in October 1920 during the Central New Guinea Expedition, in which a group of explorers stayed for six months with them at their farms in the upper Swart River Valley (now Toli Valley, Tolikara Regency). The Grand Valley was only sighted on 23 June 1938 from a PBY Catalina by Richard Archbold, who stumbled upon the valley while studying high-altitude vegetation in the Jayawijaya Mountains. [4]

The first white people to live among the Dani were John and Helen Dekker, [5] under whose ministry the Christian population among the Dani grew to 13,000. [6]

Culture

Dani warriors from the central highlands Papua 20160808 0449.jpg
Dani warriors from the central highlands
1995 ABC news report on the impact of migration on Dani culture

Sweet potatoes are important in their local culture, being the most important tool used in bartering, especially in dowries. Likewise, pig feasts are extremely important to celebrate events communally; the success of a feast, and that of a village big man (man of influence) or organiser, is often gauged by the number of pigs slaughtered.

The Dani use an earth oven method (called bakar batu or barapen) to cook pigs and their staple crops such as sweet potato, banana, and cassava. They heat stones in a fire until they are extremely hot, and line a pit with some of them. Cuts of meat and pieces of sweet potato or banana are wrapped in banana leaves, the food packages are lowered into the pit, more hot stones are placed on top, and the pit is covered with grass and a cover to keep steam in. After a couple of hours, the food is ready to eat. Pigs are too valuable to be served regularly and are reserved for special occasions only. Ritual small-scale warfare between rival villages was an integral part of traditional Dani culture, with much time spent preparing weapons and treating resulting injuries. In 1966, there was a massacre in which 125 people were killed in an attack by an enemy clan. [7] Typically the emphasis in battle is to insult the enemy and wound or kill token victims, as opposed to capturing territory or property or vanquishing the enemy village. Such fighting is no longer done.

Ethnographic studies

In 1961, as a member of the Harvard-Peabody study, filmmaker Robert Gardner began recording the Dani of the Baliem River Valley, specifically in Kurulu District and Wita Waya District, Jayawijaya Regency. In 1965, he created the film Dead Birds from this experience. Gardner emphasizes the themes of death and people-as-birds in Dani culture. "Dead birds" or "dead men" are terms the Dani use for the weapons and ornaments taken from the enemy during battle (wim). These trophies are displayed during the two-day dance of victory (edai) after an enemy is killed.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Dead Birds</i> (1963 film) 1963 American film

Dead Birds is a 1963 American documentary film by Robert Gardner about the ritual warfare cycle of the Dugum Dani people who live in the Baliem Valley in present-day Highland Papua province on the western half of the island of New Guinea in Indonesia. The film presents footage of battles between the Willihiman-Wallalua confederation (Wiligima-Alula) of Gutelu alliance (Kurulu) and the Wittaia alliance with scenes of the funeral of a small boy killed by a raiding party, the women's work that goes on while battles continue, and the wait for enemy to appear. In 1964 the film received the Grand Prize "Marzocco d'Oro" at the 5th Festival dei Popoli rassegna internazionale del film etnografico e sociologico in Florence, Italy, the Robert J. Flaherty Award given by the City College of New York, and was a featured film at the Melbourne Film Festival. In 1998, Dead Birds was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation. Dead Birds has come to hold canonical status among ethnographic films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western New Guinea</span> Region of Indonesia on the island of New Guinea

Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western, formerly Dutch presently Indonesian, half of the island of New Guinea, granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region is also called West Papua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koteka</span> Traditional New Guinean penis sheath

The koteka, also referred to as a horim or penis gourd, is a penis sheath traditionally worn by native male inhabitants of some ethnic groups in New Guinea to cover their penises. The koteka is normally made from a dried-out gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, although unrelated species such as pitcher-plant are also used. The koteka is held in place by a small loop of fiber attached to the base of the koteka and placed around the scrotum. A secondary loop placed around the chest or abdomen is attached to the main body of the koteka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayawijaya Mountains</span> Mountain range in New Guinea, Indonesia

The Jayawijaya Mountains, formerly known as the Orange Range, are the eastern mountain range of the Maoke Mountains in the central highlands region of the Indonesian part of New Guinea. The range extends for 370 kilometres (230 mi) east of the Sudirman Range to the Star Mountains. Its highest point is Puncak Mandala at 4,760 metres (15,617 ft). The Baliem River has its source in the range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puncak Trikora</span> Mountain in Indonesia on New Guinea

Puncak Trikora is a 4,730 or 4,750-metre-high (15,584 ft) mountain in the Highland Papua province of Indonesia on New Guinea. It lies in the eastern part of the Sudirman (Nassau) Range of the Maoke Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lani people</span> Indigenous people in Western New Guinea

The Lani are an indigenous people in Puncak, Central Papua and Lanny Jaya, Highland Papua, usually labelled 'Western Dani' by foreign missionaries, or grouped—inaccurately—with the Dani people who inhabit the Baliem Valley to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baliem Valley</span>

The Baliem Valley is a valley of the Central Highlands in Western New Guinea, specifically in the province of Highland Papua, Indonesia. The main town in the valley is Wamena, which lies on the Baliem River. The valley is about 80 km in length by 20 km in width and lies at an altitude of about 1,600–1,700 metres (5,200–5,600 ft), with a population of over 200,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wamena</span> Capital of Jayawijaya Regency, Indonesia

Wamena, also known as the District of Wamena, is a large town in the Western New Guinea region of Indonesia. It also serves as the seat of Jayawijaya Regency. It is the largest town in the province of Highland Papua, located in the Baliem Valley and had a population of 64,967 in the 2020 Census; the official estimate in mid 2023 was 66,080. Wamena is the urban centre of a rural area housing Highland Papua's highest concentration of population, with over 300,000 people inhabiting the Baliem Valley and surrounding areas. These people belong to several related ethnic groups, the most prominent of which are the Dani, Lani, and Yali.

The Koteka are the claimed self-identification for seven major koteka-wearing ethnicities of the highlands of Western New Guinea in Indonesia with a common culture: the Lani, Mee, Amungme, Moni, Damal, Yali and Nduga.

The Dani or Baliem Valley languages are a family of clearly related Trans–New Guinea languages spoken by the Dani and related peoples in the Baliem Valley in the Highland Papua, Indonesia. Foley (2003) considers their Trans–New Guinea language group status to be established. They may be most closely related to the languages of Paniai Lakes, but this is not yet clear. Capell (1962) posited that their closest relatives were the Kwerba languages, which Ross (2005) rejects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yali people</span> Ethnic group of the Highland Papua, Indonesia

Yali are a major tribal group in Highland Papua, Indonesia, and live to the east of the Baliem Valley, mainly in Yalimo Regency, Yahukimo Regency, and the surrounding regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayawijaya Regency</span> Regency in Papua, Indonesia

Jayawijaya Regency is one of the regencies (kabupaten) in the Indonesian province of Highland Papua. It occupies an area of 13,925.31 km2 in the Baliem Valley, situated in the central highlands of the province. It had a population of 196,085 at the 2010 Census, and 269,553 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 282,497. Its capital is the town of Wamena.

The Baliem River is a river in the Highland Papua and South Papua provinces of Western New Guinea, Indonesia. It is the largest tributary of the Pulau River, formerly called the Eilanden River. With a total length of 414.2 km (257.4 mi).

Western Dani, or Lani, is a Nuclear-Trans-New Guinea language. It is the Papuan language with the most speakers in Indonesian New Guinea. It is spoken by the Lani people in the province of Highland Papua.

The Damal or Damalme are a group of people living in the highlands of the Central Papua province of Indonesia. They primarily live in Beoga Valley along the river of Beogong. The Damal people are closely related to the Delem people and the Amungme people living in the southern lowland region. Delem is an ethnic group reportedly descended from the Damal people, Dani people, and Wano people.

Grand Valley Dani, or simply Dani, is one of the most populous Papuan languages in Indonesian New Guinea. The Dani people live in the Baliem Valley of the Western Highlands.

Yali is a Papuan language of Indonesian New Guinea. The Yali people live east of the Baliem Valley, in the Western Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Broekhuijse</span> Dutch anthropologist and ethnographer (1929–2020)

Johan Theodorus (Jan) Broekhuijse was a Dutch anthropologist, ethnographer, civil servant and photographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Papua</span> Province in Indonesia

Central Papua, officially the Central Papua Province is an Indonesian province located in the central region of Western New Guinea. It was formally established on 11 November 2022 from the former eight western regencies of the province of Papua. It covers an area of 61,072.91 km2 and had an officially estimated population of 1,452,810 in mid 2023. It is bordered by the Indonesian provinces of West Papua to the west, the province of Papua to the north and northeast, by Highland Papua to the east, and by South Papua to the southeast. The administrative capital is located in Wanggar District in Nabire Regency, although Timika is a larger town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Papua</span> Province with special status in Indonesia

Highland Papua is a province of Indonesia, which roughly follows the borders of Papuan customary region of Lano-Pago, shortened to La Pago. It covers an area of 51,213.33 km2 (19,773.58 sq mi) and had a population of 1,448,360 according to the official estimates as at mid 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 Remigiusz Mielcarek (2012). "Ginąca kultura papuaskiego ludu Dani i wpływ turystyki na jej zachowanie". Studia Periegetica. pp. 53–72. ISSN   1897-9262 . Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Ap Kaintek Model Kepemimpinan Masyarakat Hubula di Lembah Balim, Papua". STFT Fajar Timur. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Jennifer Bensley, 1994 The Dani church of Irian Jaya and the challenges it is facing today Archived 10 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine , Chapter 1, p.17-18
  4. ↑ Leny, Veronika (July–December 2013). "Memahami Sistem Pengetahuan Budaya Masyarakat Pegunungan Tengah, Jayawijaya, Papua dalam Konteks Kebencanaan". Indonesian Journal of Social and Cultural Anthropology. 34 (2): 134–151. URL to English abstract, with link to downloadable text in Indonesian.
  5. ↑ Felming, Ann-Marie (1 February 2000). "Indonesia is calling for Montrose missionary". Montrose Daily Press. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Support John Dekker". Partners International. 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020.
  7. ↑ Diamond, Jared (2012). The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?. Viking Press. ISBN   978-0-670-02481-0.

Further reading

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