Baliem Valley Dani culture.

- Background Culture. 

In the central highlands of Irian Jaya, lies a large valley with a length of 72 km and a width of 16-31 km, inhabited by soldiers and Neolithic farmers. Dani tribes and sub-tribes such as the Yali and Lani with their culture are very complex and primitive, which still looks like a "stone age". Baliem Valley is located in the district of Wamena, Irian Jaya, which is known as the home of indigenous Papuans.
Dani is A tribe who inhabited the area in the Baliem Valley known since hundreds of years ago as a skilled farmer and also formerly known already using the tool tooling tools even when discovered by experts, dani tribal people have known the use of tools such as: ax stones, knives made from animal bones and so forth.
In the last decades of the most isolated parts by swamps and mountains. They live among undergrowth, still maintain and raised pigs as a pet or animal can be said to prey. They still use the technology of the World Neolithic past.
There are about approximately 250,000 Dani live in the central highlands. Baliem Valley. One of the oldest tribes in the highlands of Papua which has the highest population density in the province of Papua.
Dani build their huts in a compound well, which express the character of environmental adaptation and Dani.
The temperature of the plateau ranges between 26 degrees Celsius during the day and 12 degrees at night. Forests where the Dani live very rich flora and fauna which are endemic often like paradise, Mambruk, parrot assortment of insect and butterfly diverse color and tone. For the culture of the Dani tribe itself, although Dani tribe of Christians, many of the ceremonies they are still old-style culture handed down by their ancestors. Dani believed to rekwasi. The whole religious ceremonies accompanied by singing, dancing and offerings to the ancestors. War and hostility usually occurs because of problems crossing the border areas, women and theft.
In this rekwasi, the soldiers will usually make tanfa with lard, shells, feathers, kus-kus, sago sticking, mango tree sap, and flowers in their body parts. Hand them carrying traditional weapons such as spears Dani, axes, machetes and bows and their arrows.
One other unique habit of Dani tribe itself is a habit they are singing the songs of heroism and or sad stories to cheer and also a time when their barriers to work. To the accompaniment of musical instruments or sang hum itself is usually a musical instrument Pikon, which is one tool that is inserted between their nostrils and ears. Besides as praising, this tool also doubles as a cue to a friend or foe in the woods when hunting.
This is a traditional house in the Baliem valley Dani - Papua. The house is named Houses Honai. The house is a traditional house honai in Papua are made of wood. What is unique is the hemispherical roof or dome and made of straw or reeds. Honai house is so small, cramped, and windowless. Such built to withstand the cold air from the surrounding mountains of Papua, this custom home high as 2.5 meters, although only 2.5 meters tall, Honai house consists of two floors. The first floor is used as a bed. On the second floor, the room is used as a place to rest, eat, and do crafts. In each connected by stairs between floors made of bamboo. Honai house usually occupied by 5-10 people. In its function, the house is divided into three types, namely home for men called Honai, or Ebei home for women, and for piggery or Wamai. All the same shape, but different functions. In a housing complex of this custom, we can find some Honai. Interestingly, the number of existing Ebei indicates the number of wives, because men in this area have more than one wife, especially chiefs. Although custom home Honai is home to indigenous peoples living Dani, but we are not going to find tools furniture or household items such as beds, tables or chairs in it. That's because people are still applying dani tribal traditional system in the application of life even for sleeping only dani tribal people still use dry grass as their bedding.

Dani Location.

Jayawijaya geographically located between 30.20 to 50.20 'South latitude and 1370.19' to 141 east longitude. Regional boundaries Jayawijaya are as follows: North by Jayapura and Yapen Waropen, West Paniai, Merauke and the South East border with the country of Papua New Guinea.
Jayawijaya topography consists of high mountains and broad valleys. Among the mountain peaks that some of them are always covered with snow for example Pucak TRIKORA 4750 m, Yamin Peak 4595m and 4760m Puncak Mandala. Soil generally consists of limestone / limestone and granite mountains of the region, while the surrounding valley is a mixture of sediment Mud, clay and loam.
Dani climatological
Dani occupy wet tropical regions because it is influenced by the location of the height of the sea surface and air temperatures vary between 80-200Celcius, the average temperature of 17.50 Celsius with 152.42 days per year of rainy days, humidity levels above 80%, the wind blows throughout the year with the highest average speed of 14 knots and 2.5 knots lowest.

Demographic.

- Papuan tribes (52%), Non Papua / Arrivals (48%) (2002)
* Papua: Aitinyo Tribe, Tribal Aefak, Asmat, Agast tribe, the Dani, Tribe Ayamaru, Mandacan Tribe, Tribal Biak, Serui Tribe, Tribal Mee, Amungme, Kamoro
* Non-Papua / Arrivals: Java, Makassar, Bugis, Batak, Minahasa, Huli, Chinese,

History.

Human civilization Papua, Especially Dani who inhabit the Baliem Valley Tribes is a civilization that can be said is still very new. Dani tribes inhabiting the Baliem Valley area is one of the Largest tribe who inhabited the Central Highlands region of Papua Dani addition to the Central Highlands region of Papua inhabited by tribes, Ekari, Moni, Damal, Amugme and some other sub tribes.
Dani tribes inhabiting the Baliem Valley and surrounding tribes are thought to be derived from the East or in the Baliem Valley are familiar with the area name yah (currently included in the district and district Yalimo Yahokimo). So based on folklore that often dibicakan by elders that Dani ancestors came from the Yali. The myth tells that the first man / man first named Dani Pumpa (Male) and Nali (Women) are entered into the Baliem Valley from the east by a Goa. There are some sources that say Goa's first release of the first man's place comes from Goa Times Huam (Regional Siepkosy), others say from Goa in the Regional Pugima and some say that the release of the first humans is derived from the Dani tribe from the entrance of the wind in the area Kurima .
The lack of research is rather difficult for the decision Dani origin, the presence of Papua island itself was discovered in 1511 by the Portuguese in the journey in search of spices. Meanwhile, Dani had just discovered in 1954 by Lourentz during an expedition to G.Trikora. Up to this time Dani estimated that inhabit the Baliem Valley is a 5th generation Dani, when drawn from the stories Ancestors Dani civilization. With the rapid development of technology, where civilization Dani who was then still in the Stone Age civilization faced with modern life, straight through several stages of civilization must be a serious threat to the Dani tribe in civilization increasingly Cultural forget this.

Modernization. 

Modernization of renewal implies covering all aspects of life, turn poduksi way, thoughts and feelings that lead to new things: value / social norms, patterns of behavior, organization, social institutions, the layers in society, power and authority as well as social interaction and so on to a better life and more feasible.
Modernization is a systematic process. Modernization involves changes in almost all aspects of social behavior, including industrialization, urbanization, secularization, centralization, and so on. In order to achieve the status of a modern, structures and traditional values ​​in total should be replaced with a set of structures and modern values. For this case, Huntington, stated, that the modernization theory see 'modern' and 'traditional' as the two concepts are essentially contradictory (asymmetric).
Because the world historian Marshall Hodgson is less likely to be named the advanced age of mankind dominated by science and technology as' Age 'modern' because of the connotation of the word 'modern' is always positive-but 'Mechanical Age' (technical age) with neutral connotation, can be good and can be bad too. Because neutrality 'Mechanical Age' was the most important role of ethics.
Even Roger Garaudy (Your first name creed, Muhammad Nuruddin), refer to the time of the technique as a 'tool of religion'; That is an age dominated by the device, technique or instrument, and very few actually answer what the intrinsic purpose of it all. Tools, techniques, and instruments become a destination in itself that controls human life and become a new religion.
As of April 1954, a few Christian ministers of the United States of religious broadcasting organization Cristian and Missionary Alliance (CAMA abbreviated) arrived, people still live Palim isolated from the outside world. They were at that time still using stone tools by the same shape as the experts thought to originate from the prehistoric Neolithic epoch, so that they seemed to still be in the Stone Age Neolithic.
The pastors then some religious broadcasting center in the southern Baliem Valley in the confederation Asso-Lokobal/Asso-Wetipo (sic). With the presence of the priests Dani some people suddenly faced with the outside world is represented by the white people, whose way of life equipped with all modern equipment, from small worn everyday, until the plane, which they use as a tool transportation to and out of the Baliem Valley area.
Contact with the outside world becomes more prevalent when the Dutch government in 1956 set up a government post in Wamena, which is equipped with airfield that can accommodate planes at Dakota and broadcasting organizations Catholicism when Minnebriders Frances activity center which opened two years later in Wamena.
Contact Dani tribe in Baliem beginning occurred in 1926, with the arrival of scientific expeditions Steerling. The process of modernization of the society Baliem as noted in the book 'Culture Jaya Wijaya', edited Astrid Susanto (1994) occur in stages over time, as follows:
1). Future expeditionary contact Steerling in 1926;
2). Cultural contacts in the period 1954-1962.
Contact modernization here is more on material culture (ax, opening outposts government / mission and the opening of roads (the time of Dutch colonial rule).
3). Integration period in 1963-1969.
At this time Dani integrated into state of Indonesia through Presidential Decree 1 of 1963 and on 16 September 1969 with the Act of events.
4). The beginning of construction in 1970-1974.
At this time the development has not been a lot of looks, a lot of schools opened, communication quite well, growing residential town of Wamena, the posts in the district and built highways, hospitals and so on.
5). Adaptation period in 1975-1981. At this time many developmental approach performed as socio-cultural adaptation, Village Government established according to Law No. Home Affairs. 5 yr in 1974, the course opened pioneer village development (KPPD) as a cadre of representatives of each village formed. The development process was well received in Indonesia bernahasa good and a lot of things to adjust and change.
6.). Transition period in 1982 - until now
General sec-Central Mountains region of Papua, in the early years of 1980-1990, the Dani, many encountered the men wearing Koteka and tassel for women. Not often found in the city now, but the areas are still isolated and far from the center of government there are many citizens who still wore Koteka as a symbol of backwardness and underdevelopment.
The new modernization effort conducted by the Indonesian military officials such as the operation of the task force by Governor Aqub Zaenal in the early 1970s. But in the real sense of the modernization efforts undertaken by missionaries and the Indonesian government.
Thank you for reading this article. Written and posted by Bambang Sunarno. sunarnobambang86@gmail.com
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name: Bambang Sunarno.
http://primadonablog.blogspot.com/2014/02/baliem-valley-dani-culture.html
DatePublished: February 25, 2014 at 11:43
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Tag : Baliem Valley Dani culture.