The wild Dani tribe in Papua New Guinea honors their ancestors and keeps their bodies smoked for hundreds of years. True, now this custom has practically disappeared, but old mummies are still held in high esteem and respect in the tribes.
Mummification was done in this way: the corpse was hung over embers and smoked and dried for several months, after which the mummy "settled" in the male half of the relatives' house. This was done not at all for idle pampering - the dried relics served as a link with the other world.
If the everyday problem was not solved in the usual way, they went to the mummy for advice. In such cases, the shaman served as a translator, he transmitted requests to the dead and deciphered messages from that world to the living.
In recent years, the Dani Papuan tribes have attracted many tourists, for whom they act out scenes of battles between the tribes and show their original customs.
Also, every August, Dani arrange ritual imitations of massacres with the neighboring tribes of Lani and Yali for the sake of a feast of fertility and support of ancient traditions. The entire life of Dani is at a primitive level, with their inherent prohibitions, rituals and customs.
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Responsibilities are strictly delineated between men and women living separately. Women cook, do handicrafts and firewood, look after livestock and vegetable gardens, while men hunt, build, dig gardens and fight.
In the old days, tribal wars were accompanied by violent clashes, but the current government of Indonesia is committed to a peaceful resolution of civil strife.
Men of the Dani tribe wear headdresses made of feathers and animal bones, painted with paint. Of the clothes they have only a special tube worn on the penis - koteka or halim. Halims are made from bottle gourds, they are worn by boys from the age of 10 and worn to the grave.
The longest halim, decorated with furs, feathers and glass, belongs to the leader, the rest are content with smaller sizes. Men in their prime wear a straight halim, boys and old men wear a crooked or twisted tip. There are also festive and everyday halimas - the former are longer and more beautiful, the latter are more practical - thick and short.
The Dani women wear skirts made of wild orchid leaves, with straw and a construction of cloth for sacks attached to the head.
The Dani tribe is also known for its cruel ritual, according to which, if a man dies, then women from his relatives must cut off their phalanx of a finger. In this way, they demonstrate their grief and soothe the spirit of a deceased relative, although the Indonesian government forbids such grief. Many women in old age have almost all of their fingers disfigured.
A Dani man can afford many wives if he has many pigs. Having given at least 5 pigs for a good bride, the husband takes his wife to his domain. As women are forbidden to visit the men's house, so there is no way for men to enter the women's quarters. Therefore, the spouses meet in a separate building.
Although the marriageable age for girls is 14 years old, the taboo on sex life during feeding and caring for a child under 4 years old enables a woman to recover in difficult living conditions.
Despite the remoteness, the benefits of civilization capture these ancient tribes. More and more young people go to the city to serve other “gods”: money and comfort.
