BALIEM VALLEY
This is highlight of Irian Jaya, the valley that you should not miss to visit. Baliem Valley is officially called Jayawijaya, adopted from the name of the district. Hidden away in the central mountain ranges of Irian Jaya amile above coastal jungles, the Baliem River flows through abroad temperate plain.The valley floor is inhabited by Dani tribesmen which men wear the so-called 'koteka', a penis gourd functioned to cover the vital thing only as little as possible. They also usually decorate, especially in certain events, their head with beautiful parrot feathers and the nose with pig tooth. A more expensive accessory is a shell tie that usedto be worn only by chief,Leadership in Dani had been and still is unique, Dani leaders are the men of influence in stead of the men of power. That is to say that leadership fer power or the ability to force others to act against their inclination. There are no terms of office, and no way in which person can suddenly acquire a tremendous increase in power by win ning an election.This was practiced until the Indonesian government took control.
Dani women wear grass skirt and beautiful, sometimes colored, string bark. They mostly live in primitive way of farming by growing sweet potato. From the earlier life the Dani have been very skillful in farming by building simple irrigation. Recently, after the goverment sent trained volunteer to teach farming to the people, they also farm various kinds of vegetable such as carrot, potato, garlic, beans, cauliflower and even rice. While the most favorite animal to feed is pig although many also breed chicken. Despite they grow varied vegetables and breed animals, they only consume sweet potato in daily diets. Grown vegetables are only for sale in the market while bred pigs are only are killed and cooked in certain festivals.
In most places women work harder, either in the garden or in the kitchen, than men. They work with fire- hardwned digging sticks to plant or harvest sweet potato and take it to the market, In working they only use primitive tools, no matter hor hard it is. The presence of stone-bladed in their culture makes it almost obligatory that the culture to be called Stone Age. The Dani still widely practiced until in the 1960's
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