Have y’all ever considered the heritage of the people of a country? Or even just a province of a country? Their traditions, their beliefs, their legacy? That light dyin’ out be tragic y’all. It is important that people be knowin’ where they come from.
Remember my piece ‘bout Trekkin’ for Tribesmen? There be six main tribes in West Papua, so my next inserts are gonna focus on ‘em.
Dani
Yari
Lani
Korowai
Kombai
Amungme
Kamoro
According to Wiki, there were 25,000 Dani people round 2009. What that number is now, I can’t say, but I hope it be more rather ‘n less. They be the largest tribe in the West Papuan area.
Like many tropical tribes, ‘n some in Africa, food forms a great part of their traditions. They slaughter a pig (or more, dependin’ on the village chief’s status). The more important he be, the more pork they be eatin’. One of the coolest thangs about pig feasts is that nothin’ goes to waste. Pigs be like sacred, so they don’t get cooked often.
The people be eatin’ the meat, the bones be used in traditional jewelry ‘n the rib bones be fashioned into knives to peel vegetables.
They also eat a lotta sweet starches, like sweet taters, cassava ‘n bananas. When I was in Africa, in a place called Mozambique, I ate cassava with some of the locals. It ain’t too bad, pretty darn healthy too. I got friends that eat pasta made from it ‘cause they have gluten intolerance. I read somewhere that pork ‘n such be cooked in banana leave in a flamin’ hot oven.
Many indigenous tribes all over the world have rituals attached to their lifestyles such as dowries which must be paid to a bride’s father because she can get hitched. The Dani practice this too. Traditionally, the grooms be payin’ for their wives with sweet taters. Yeah, wives, ‘cause they be practicing polygamy.
As times have been changin’ the Dani tribe have adapted, but their traditions ‘n culture be being threatened as more globalization be happenin’. I abhor politics ‘cause everyone be havin’ an agenda, but I do get that it ain’t somethin’ that can be swept under the rug, so a while ago I wrote this piece about the Free Papua Movement. The Dani people be one tribe that be for the idea, but they have been persecuted ‘n abused for the feelin’. My research said that in some cases members of the tribes have gone to prison, or even been shot to death for raisin’ the Mornin’ Star, aka the flag of West Papua.
It don’t matter how you feel, progress needs to happen, right, but traditions need to be kept alive too. There can be a balance, the world just needs to work together ‘n try ‘n live in harmony.
Author: JS
Travel Vlogger, Journalist,
