The Dani people also spelled Ndani, and sometimes conflated with the Lani group to the west, are a people from the central highlands of western New Guinea (the Indonesian province of Papua).
They are one of the most populous tribes in the highlands and are found spread out through the highlands.
The people have a strange funeral ritual that leaves women amputated whenever they lost a loved one.
For the Dani, fingers symbolize harmony, unity, and strength. Fingers, despite their different lengths, work together cooperatively to perform tasks.
In this way, fingers, in the Dani culture and belief system, function like a family.
According to the Jakarta Post, the Dani believe misfortune due to the death of a family member can be eliminated through finger amputation. The practice is also viewed as a sacrifice to appease the spirits.
If the dead person was a powerful figure, finger cutting would drive away the equally powerful spirit that might linger posthumously.
How it’s done
The Ikipalin is a common ritual that takes place in the grieving period and is usually performed by another close family member.
A stone blade is often used to amputate the top part of a finger. However, amputations can also be done without tools.
In these cases, people chew at the knuckles to weaken them then use a piece of rope tied around the finger to cut off circulation.
Another option is to tie up the joints in order to stop blood flow to the area — the muscles and nerves die due to oxygen deprivation, and the dead part of the finger falls off.
After the finger is removed, the open sore is cauterised to stop bleeding, and the detached part is either burned or buried somewhere special.
They also have a slightly less painful way of expressing grief through physical manifestation–smearing the body with ashes and clay and refraining from bathing for several weeks.
Their unusual practice of finger amputation, called Ikipalin, was banned by the Indonesian government a few years ago — however, many older female members of the tribe can be identified by their hands, and it’s believed this practice still continues in secret.
