Traditional cut Finger 🤞

 Indonesia is famous for its diverse traditions and cultures. One of them is the finger-cutting tradition of the Dani tribe in Papua.

The Dani tribe is one of the largest and most famous tribes out of approximately 466 tribes in Papua. The Dani tribe is located in the Baliem Valley area, Jayawijaya Regency-Papua Pegunungan.

Quoted from detik.com, the name Dani itself was given by researchers who conducted research and were in direct contact with the Dani tribe in 1926. The research was a joint expedition between America and the Netherlands and was led by M.W. Striiling.

One of the researchers named Le Roux said that the name Dani comes from the Moni language, namely 'Ndani' and means "east of the direction of sunrise". Meanwhile, the native Dani tribe themselves do not know who gave their tribe the name, but they know that "Ndani" means "peace".

The Dani tribe has many traditions, one of which is the finger-cutting tradition.  The finger cutting tradition is carried out when one of their family members, namely the father, mother, child, or sibling, dies, this is done because of the high sense of brotherhood held by the Dani tribe. 

The Dani tribe believes that cutting off one of the fingers is a symbol of the pain when left forever by a family member they love. This is also done as a prayer so that the same thing does not happen again. 

Most finger cutting traditions in the Dani tribe are only carried out by women. However, some men also do it to show deep sadness, because Dani men generally do not cut their fingers, but cut their ear skin to show their sadness when they lose one of their family members. 

This finger cutting tradition of the Dani tribe has been passed down from generation to generation and is still carried out today. Although the Papuan and Jayawijaya governments have prohibited this tradition, the Dani tribe still does it today as a way to remember their ancestors and express their condolences.