You may have seen some of the emerging photographs on the Internet about British photographer, the new project of Jimmy Nelson before Away passing - Nelson visited and photographed 29 isolated tribes to document before their traditions disappear. Three tribes were Indonesia - Yali and Dani of Baliem Valley in the mountains of central Papua and West Papua Korowai
I recently attended the culture of Dani and Yali tribes Valley Festival Baliem .. Held each August on the mountain, the people of the valley gathered in traditional clothing and dancing and simulated war reenactments.
Perhaps the most iconic and essential part of the clothing worn by men and Dani Yali is koteka or penis gourd. Now the koteka is often seems dangling walls and became an exotic souvenir for many tourists who visited Papua. But what exactly is the koteka and why is it disappear from the rich cultural heritage of Papua?
In the 1960s, anthropologist Karl Heider spent 27 months conducting fieldwork on people Dugum Baliem Dani. His goal for the neutral observation brought him into conflict with some Europeans and Americans who moved to the Grand Valley after 1954 and tried to change the way of life Dani - they suspected Heider encouraging aspects of war to make a movie. The war between the tribes was common and conflicts often arose over property rights (land and pigs) or women.
Sometimes after reading anthropological rating Heider in the Dugum Dani , it felt like I had stumbled into the Middle Earth of Tolkien - descriptions were truly breathtaking
Heider explained that each boy Dani age of six. would a penis gourd. "Gourds are grown near compounds and are carefully shaped as they grow. The vineyard consists of a framework in which it holds about 1.5 meters above the ground. If a long straight gourd is desired, a weight stone is related to the end of the gourd, pulling out. later, if a curve or loop is desired, the bottle is folded horizontally or upside down and whipped the frame ... "
"When a gourd is grown to the desired size, boards are cut - it is grilled over coals to harden the shell and soften the meat - meat is carved with a bamboo knife, the outer skin is scraped, and the bottle is carefully wrapped and allowed to dry behind the fire of the men's house. "
" Every man has a wardrobe of different sizes and shapes of gourds that alternately. It is conceivable that the man takes his flask depending on his mood of the day, but I found no evidence of that. "
" The noisy flick of the gourd with the nail of a forefinger punctuates the most dramatic conversations. This flick has the same range of meanings that the word naijuk - I'm afraid, I'm impressed, wow "
As I hiked through the Baliem valley, wearing boots and a jacket keep warm, one thing that surprised me was the sight of older men climb steep slopes wearing only a koteka to keep warm! a local policeman who invited me to visit the museum Wamena was also intrigued by this riddle and had observed Dani simply covering their ears, or holding their hands under the armpits where it was warmer - and even if it snowed, they would still carry the koteka
Although the museum was! closed, the officer allowed us to have a look at the items were organic and difficult to maintain. - some were disintegrated Heider also described the elements of the incredibly fragile Dani Culture -. "a large spider, called muligak , almost a third pet Dani, with the pig and the dog. These spiders are collected in the forest and brought in compounds, where they build elaborate strips on frames. The paintings, tangled in the fabric are used for the caps for men and magic strips hanging in the throat. "
The main forms of decoration were mud, feathers , fur and fat pork, which were difficult to store I noticed this décor Festival Baliem Valley and watched the bright colors of Yali -. their war dance was full of music, giant guitars and everyone was dancing, however. after trekking in the villages Dani, I quickly realized that the only older generations wore traditional elements such as koteka. the young and middle age wearing clothes and Rastafarian culture "Bob Marley" appeared to have been adopted in the city of Wamena West.
in these high mountain regions, development is difficult, and I saw many Dani climbers carrying bags of mie in the villages, as well as a group who carried bags of cement and a toilet up the steep slope! Tourism has reached the region and the evolution of the economy of the city of Wamena - this again changed the dynamic of Baliem. WWF are currently engaged in an eco-tourism project that will allow people to share their knowledge about the nature and use that wisdom to make a living
Yet the photographer Jimmy Nelson raises an important point -. These crops disappear. Education, health and development have reached these isolated regions and villages such as now Hitugi in Baliem Valley have their own school, but exposure to the outside world involves change. Maybe find a balance between culture and development restraint is key - even if the subject is so complex, I would not draw any conclusions. But as long as events such as the Festival of the Baliem valley enable communities to come together, remember their heritage and share it with others, we can hope that culture will not be forgotten.
Additional Information
The photograph of Jimmy Nelson: http://www.beforethey.com/
The Dugum Dani Karl G . Heider: A Papuan Culture in the Highlands of West New Guinea (1970) Chicago: Aldine Publishing
film Robert Gardner: Dead Birds (1963)
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