Where people cut fingers to express sorrow

In the Dani tribe, Indonesia, when relatives lost, the rest of family will express sorrow by amputated of their finger.

Amputation of fingers is one of the culture of Dani people, Papua, Indonesia handed down from generation to generation.

When family members die, everyone will mourn and show their sorrow by cutting away a knuckles. Besides, people use ash and clay applied full-face. However, the cut finger only be done by the majority of women in the tribe, a ritual is considered cruel and terrible.

Beliefs from Dani tribe, if decedent lived strong, when death, their soul also contains the power and will harass the living. Therefore, to appease the soul and make them feel secure salvation, these women will have to cut their knuckles.

Before cutting, fingers will be tied in for 30 minutes and dried. Then, they will be incinerated ,the ash of the fingers will be buried in a special area.

Some people explained that physical pain from the cut finger will symbolize the mind pain when we lose loved ones. Who perform cutting fingers will be parents or siblings. In another bizarre ritual,  the baby was cut fingers by their mother with hoping they will live longer.

Dani tribe whose life is quite primitive many decades ago due to geographical location remote, difficult to access. They live in a valley at altitude of 1,600 m of the Cyclops Mountains, the only town called Wamena. Guests can come here by plane.

Population about 250,000 people and is one of the highest population tribes in Papua , the largest province of Indonesia.

In addition to traditional cut finger mourning the deceased,Dani also known as headhunter tribe.