Papua

1. Baliem Festival
High up in the mountains of central Papua at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level, hemmed in by steep green mountain walls lies the stunningly beautiful Baliem valley, home of the Dani tribe. Baliem valley is 72 km. long, and 15 km to 31 km wide in places. It is cut by the Baliem river which has its source in the northern Trikora mountain, cascading into the Grand Valley, to meander down and further rushing south dropping 1,500 meters to become a large muddy river that slowly empties into the Arafura Sea. The first outsider to discover the valley was American Richard Archbald who, on 23 June 1938 from his seaplane suddenly sighted this awesome valley dotted with neat terraced green fields of sweet potatoes set among craggy mountain peaks. This is Indonesia’s own Shangri-La. Only recently emerged from the Stone Age, the Dani are known as the “gentle warriors”. With their simple tools of stone and bone, they nonetheless, managed to sculpt green fields that hug the hills, where they grow root crops, and raise pigs. They have also built outposts and lookout towers to defend their valley from hostile tribes. Because of the fertile soil and their agricultural skills, the Dani together with the sub-tribes of the Yali and the Lani, are, therefore, the most populous in Papua, living scattered in small communities near their gardens among the steep mountain slopes. Today they also cultivate bananas, taro and yams, ginger, tobacco and cucumbers. The men's and women's huts have thick thatched roofs which keep the huts cool during the day and warm during the cold nights. Although now modernized, the Dani still strongly adhere to their traditions and customs, most notably the dress of the men. Even in this cool mountain climate men wear only a penis gourd, known as koteka, though complemented with elaborate headdress of bird of paradise or cassowary feathers, while the women wear grass or fern fiber skirts slung around the waist. And to carry pigs or the harvest of sweet potatoes, women carry a string bag, called noken, slung from their forehead. To defend their village or to raid others to avenge for tribe members killed, the Dani practice regular warfare. However, anthropologists note that the “Dani wars” are more a display of prowess and opulence of dress and decoration rather than an all out war to kill the enemy. Dani warfare displays competence and exuberance, rather than the wish to kill. Weapons used are long spears, measuring 4.5 meters, and bows and arrows. Most often, therefore, there are more wounded than killed, and the wounded are quickly carried off the field. Nowadays, Dani mock wars are held yearly at the Baliem Valley Festival in Wamena during the month of August (see Calendar of Events). At this feast, which has as its highlight the mock battles among the tribes, the Dani, Yali and Lani send their best warriors to the arena, wearing their best regalia. The Festival is complemented with a Pig Feast, Earth cooking and traditional music and dance. There are also arts and crafts exhibited or for sale. Each tribe will come with their own identity, and one can see clear differences among them and identify tribes according to their costume. The Dani men usually wear only a small koteka (penis gourd / penis cover), while the Lani tribesmen wear larger koteka, since their bodies are bigger than the average Dani, while the Yali wear long slender kotekas held by a rattan belt strapped at the waist. By attending the massive Baliem Valley Festival, visitors will have a rare chance to learn and experience firsthand the different traditions of each tribe participating in the Festival without having to make the difficult trek to their compounds deep in the hinterland of West Papua.
After the Festival, visitors can sightsee to the Dani Market in Wamena, the traditional Wauma Village which can be reached by car from Wamena. In Aikima is a 250 year old mummified village chief, or, after a 2 hour climb see the salt springs where Dani women have for centuries made salt in a simple manner.
2. Baliem Valley – Papua
Once you read or give it a deeper study to Danis way of life, dont be surprised that you may find your eye lifting or forehead wrinkling. Why? Because the Dani is uniquely amazing. The Dani men and women sleep separately in different honai (Danis traditional house). The men sleep grouped in one honai, while the women and children slumber in another honai. As descended from their ancestor, sex is taboo for the women after giving birth, for 2 or 5 years. As the result the Dani generated healthier kids since the women focus on babysitting the kids during the most important phase of growth. This situation makes the men vulnerable to polygamy, its a true fact of life that the Dani men are allowed to have more than 1 wife or as many as he can afford. A man should give 4-5 pigs to the girls parent he wants to marry. For Dani men, his social status are initiated by the number of wives and pigs he has. Another remarkable custom of Dani is that women will amputate their finger when their relatives die, hence don't be surprised when you see women with missing finger. To enhance the quality of your experience in Baliem Valley, a guide is essential since there are no clear maps or signage initiated for visitor. The guide will help to lead the track, communicate with the local people and in advance. The guide will also inform you about local dos and don'ts.
Would you mind if we say ON FOOT? Through trekking, you can witness traditional ceremonies, traditional markets and the people of Dani. There is no restaurant inside the Baliem- Valley, a guide could bargain the Dani people to provide simple meals. Its stoutly advised, that the visitor bring their own meals and snack during the trekking. Meals and snacks can be found in grocery store at Wamena.
The captivating Baliem Fiesta/Festival is held on August around 10 - 17 August every year. The festival performs traditional dances, pig races, ancestral fighting and races. Today, Baliem Fiesta is one of the main reasons why tourists visit Papua. Its a magical Fiesta says most of the tourist. Try visiting the large and busy local market at Sinatma, or spotting mummies at Kurulu Village.
3. Cendrawasih Bay National Park
Teluk Cendrawasih or Cendrawasih Bay National Park in Papua includes Indonesia’s largest marine national park and is one of the best dive-sites in the archipelago. Comprising land and coastal areas, islands, coral reefs and seas, the park covers a total area of 1,453,500 hectares. The Cendrawasih Bay Park combines coral reef ecosystems with mangrove, islands and terrestrial tropical forest ecosystems. Here are colonies of black coral, blue coral and soft coral. The Park is famous for the 209 fish species that make this Park their habitat, among which are the butterfly fish, the damselfish and parrotfish, while mollusks found here include the trumpet triton, the great clam and the cone shell.
Four species of turtles inhabit these waters, they are the hawksbill turtle, the common green turtle, the Pacific ridley turtle and the leatherback turtle. Here are also found dugongs, coconut crabs, dolphins and sharks. While on Mioswaar Island can be found a natural cave with ancient remains, thermal springs and waterfalls, and at Tanjung Muagguar is an underwater cave with a depth of 100 feet. On Yoop Island and Windesi waters visitors can go whale and dolphin watching, while Nusrowi Island is ideal for diving, snorkeling, marine tours and animal observation. On Rumberpon Island one can observe birds and deer, dive and snorkel. A sunken military aircraft wreck lies on the seabed.

4. The Asmat
The wide south-eastern part of the island of Papua comprises flat plains overgrown with mangrove forests serrated by a large number of rivers. These plains lie so low that at high tide during the rainy season, sea water penetrates some two kilometers inland and flows back out to two km to sea during the low tide. At low tide the plains are muddy and impassable. This is the largest alluvial swamp in the world, a low-lying territory of bog forest and meandering rivers emptying into the Arafura sea.
This is the habitat of crocodiles, gray nurse sharks, sea snakes, fresh water dolphins, shrimp, and crabs, while living along the banks are huge lizards. The forests contain palms, ironwood, merak wood and mangroves and are home to the crown pigeons, hornbills and cockatoos. There are grass meadows and orchids do bloom here.
In such inhospitable landscape the Asmat have made this their home, next to the Marind-Anim and the Mimika tribes. Among these, the Asmat are the most well known, or the most infamous. They are fierce warriors who in the past practiced head-hunting following their culture and belief. But through their complex culture, they have also created some of the world’s most outstanding wood sculptures, exemplified by strong lines and design, most coveted by art collectors around the world. Despite prized among the world’s finest primitive arts, nonetheless, to the Asmat themselves, their woodcarving is inextricably linked with the spirit world, and therefore, are not principally considered aesthetic objects. Much of the highly original art of the Asmat is symbolic of warfare, headhunting, and warrior-ancestor veneration. For centuries the Asmat, preoccupied with the necessity of appeasing ancestral spirits, produced a wealth of superbly designed shields, canoes, sculptured figures, and drums. Many of these masterpieces are today on display at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Natives of the region are divided into two main groups; those living along the coasts, and those in the interior. They differ in dialect, way of life, social structure, and ceremonies. The coastal river areas are further divided into two groups, the Bisman, living between the Sinesty and the Nin River, and the Simai. Around 70,000 Asmat, the largest tribe in the area, are scattered in 100 villages in a territory of roughly 27,000 square km living in this huge tidal swamp land. The tribe was untouched by civilization until recent times. Dutch outposts, missionary settlements, and foreign expeditions finally made inroads into this isolated community only in the 1950’s and 60's. Formerly, entire tribal families lived together in houses of up to 28 meters long called yeus. Yeus are still in use today, but are only occupied by men for rituals where unmarried men sleep. Upriver, the Asmat still live in longhouses, while the Kombai and Korowai Asmat still live in houses constructed in treetops. The Asmat live on sago, their staple diet, as well as on mussels, snails, and fat insect larvae collected from decaying stumps of sago palms. These are eaten to the accompaniment of throbbing drums and ritual dances. Larvae feasts can last up to two weeks. The Asmat also gather forest products such as rattan, and catch fish and shrimp in large hoop nets. The Asmat are semi-nomads, their life depending on conditions on the river which is their sole means of transport and their source of food. The climate here is hot and humid. The rainy season stretches from October to May, with an average of 40 cm of rainfall each year. The east monsoon season runs from April to June, while the west monsoon sets in from December to March. The Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress houses some of the best carvings and artifacts collected from all over the region.
Once a year the Asmat Woodcarving Festival is held in October, dedicated to the development of Asmat art and culture. The main attractions are the carvings and dances performed by villages around Agats. The best carvings in the festival will be placed at the Asmat Museum, while the rest are sold through action on the festival site.

(references: www.indonesia.travel and www.my-indonesia.info)