Exploring the bonds of friendship in the Baliem valley<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Rosa Widyawan<\/p>\n
WAMENA, Irian Jaya (JP): Wasigini sigin mauwe Dogogin sigin
\nmauwe\/ watlasug wasigin mauweweneh at hiko-hiko uwe\/ weneh at
\nhiko-hiko uwe Yamana luk sigin oue\/ Wamena la raike uwe Nowawiki
\nweaka uwe\/ Amua latike uwe.<\/p>\n
Four youngsters, accompanied by four guitars and a mouth
\nbamboo harp called pikon, chanted this poem monotonously. The
\nlyrics express a yearning for Wamena.<\/p>\n
For people in Tiom or Ubilik, visiting Wamena is an exciting
\nexperience. They walk three or four days across tropical forests
\nto reach the only town in the middle of the grand Baliem valley.
\nIf they have enough money, they can get there by small plane or
\nrented car. But even if they have the money, they often prefer to
\nwalk. This way, they can save money in order to watch movies, buy
\nkretek cigarettes or stay longer in Wamena.<\/p>\n
I was waiting for a taxi to drive me back to Wamena. It would
\nbe hard for me to go on foot, especially after walking six hours
\ndownhill from Tiom. A woman pinched her friend's bent index
\nfinger with her index and middle fingers, pulled it until it made
\nan explosive sound, and said "La'uk!". This is their way of
\nsaying hello. The men will say "Kaonak!" and "Selamat Siang" to
\noutsiders.<\/p>\n
As I stood waiting for my taxi, my thoughts returned to all
\nthe things I had seen in Wamena.<\/p>\n
In the nearby market, I saw people selling raw or baked hipere
\n(sweet potato), corn, hom (taro) and el (cane sugar). They
\ndisplayed their merchandise and covered it with dried grass to
\nprotect it from the sun. There were pigs and hogs sniffing
\naround.<\/p>\n
The Dani consider pigs the most important creatures besides
\nhumans. Pigs indicate wealth and social importance. A man who
\nowns a large herd of pigs can run a polygamous household.<\/p>\n
I felt much better here than during my thrilling flight to
\nWamena. After flying over Membramo River, crossing tropical
\nforests, our plane passed by a gigantic cliff called the Baliem
\nGate. The plane seemed to fly low and close to the bluish rock
\nwall. Although most passengers enjoyed the adventure, I was
\nuneasy. Perhaps it was because our flight had been delayed due to
\nbad weather, and I had to stay at a hotel in Sentani for two
\nnights.<\/p>\n
Wamena is more beautiful than I had imagined. Every house has
\na large yard. There is a choice of hotels, so you can choose the
\nmost appropriate. For local transport, you can hire a pedicab at
\nRp 1,000 per passenger. There are also bicycles, but taxis are
\navailable only at the airport.<\/p>\n
There are many good restaurants in town. Try Udang Serak,
\nsteamed or fried fresh water lobsters served with vegetables.
\nAlcoholic drinks are not available, because alcohol is against
\nthe law in this beautiful town.<\/p>\n
What's most interesting about Wamena is its traditional market
\ncalled Pasar Nayak. During the day it is like any ordinary market
\nin Indonesia. But at night, people sell tobacco, betel nut, and
\nsnacks. Most locals are fond of chewing betel nut, the way
\nAmericans like chewing gum, and spit it out indiscriminately.
\nYoungsters flock to the market, and at night the Pasar Nayak
\nbecomes a social gathering place.<\/p>\n
In August there are many attractions for independence day.
\nMost interesting is the War Festival. Before it begins, warriors
\ncluster around the watchtower before approaching the battle
\nlines. The war leaders talk to their warriors about the strategy.
\nWhen the games begin, the groups shout and wave their plumes.
\nThey dart about, shooting arrows, as the audience cheers them on.<\/p>\n
Another unique attraction is the pig race, which is a lot of
\nfun. The race is different to other races, because the pigs
\nfollow the owners.<\/p>\n
The Dani people believe in Kanekke, a pair of flat oval stones
\nin which the spirit of their ancestors live. The male Kanekke is
\n70 cm long, and the female one is shorter. Kanekke reminds the
\nDani of their ancestor's promises. Another amulet is called
\nhariken, which is a collection of pig jaws and tails slaughtered
\nduring a pig festival. The function of the hariken is to
\ndetermine the day of the next Wam-mawe.<\/p>\n
The ethnic groups of the grand Baliem valley have their own
\nway of solving conflicts: battle. Every ethnic group has a
\ntraditional enemy, which is passed on to the children.
\nConsequently, in school children of a particular ethnic group
\nwill be the enemy of another. So it is difficult to appoint a
\nclass captain.<\/p>\n
The Jayawijaya authorities have taken steps to preserve the
\ntraditional battles of the Dani, by holding a battle festival
\nevery August. During the festival members of the tribes compete
\nwith each other and during such "battles", strategy and skills
\nare important. Another effort is the establishment of the House
\nof Customary Affairs where a leader, or Big Man, can discuss
\ntheir conflicts.<\/p>\n
The tribal leaders meet in the Silimo Adat, a convention
\ncomplex near Wamena airport. In the silimo, a huge building built
\nin local architecture stores the abwarek, the sacred tokens of
\nthe ethnic groups of Jayawijaya. These sacred materials are kept
\non the second floor. The first floor, where artefacts are
\ndisplayed, is open to the public.<\/p>\n
The authorities believe that by establishing the silimo, they
\ncan stop battles among the tribes because the source of dispute
\nis often the abwarek.<\/p>\n
The Dani people live in village compounds called sili. Men
\nsleep and pass the day in a two-story round structure with a
\ndomed, thatch roof. In the middle of the house there is a
\nfireplace. The house for women and children is called ebai. The
\nrear quarter of the lower room is blocked up with boards to form
\na place for baby pigs or sick pigs which the women care for. In
\nfront of the women's house is a long structure called lese, or
\ncommon cook house, located near the pigsty and banana yard. In
\nthe middle of the sili there is a courtyard for social functions.<\/p>\n
There is a hearth in front of the houses. Cooking together is
\nan important ritual for the people. Stones are heated up to steam
\nfood. A rock fire is made up with large logs set crosswise in the
\nyard. The first layer of stones is laid down on the ground, then
\nthe logs are put down layer by layer and another layer of rods is
\nlaid over it.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a hole is prepared. A layer of long grass is placed
\nin the center of the pit, overlapping the edges and extending out
\na meter or so beyond the hole. This grass is eventually bunched
\nover the top and used to wrap the steamed food.<\/p>\n
When the stone is hot and the food assembled, the process of
\nbuilding up steam is begun. Long tongs are used to carry the hot
\nrocks from the fire to the pit. Rocks, ferns, meat, and leaves
\nare laid down in alternating layers. When the mass has been built
\nup above ground level, the grass is flipped in, over the top, and
\nthe building of alternating layers continues. When this is
\nfinally finished, the grass is again flipped over the top of the
\nbundle, the binding is continued up to the top, and perhaps a
\nboard or two is laid down on top to hold in the steak and keep
\noff rain. The building of layers may take an hour and the
\nsteaming continues for another hour. After that the bundle is
\nopened and the food is shared out.<\/p>\n
The singing crowd at Pit River had gone. The youngsters seemed
\nto have disappeared behind the hills. There was no taxi so I
\nwalked for three hours to Pike, the nearest airport.<\/p>",
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