Deep in the heart of Indonesian forests, there still live primitive people who have not yet been assimilated into society. Today, we shall take a look at some of the mysterious ways of a few tribes of original inhabitants of Indonesia.
1. Asmat Tribe
Source: Flickr
As a cannibalistic people who used skulls for pillows, it is easy to see why the Asmat Tribe struck terror into the heart of neighbouring villages. Fearsome hunters, they would eat an animal’s brains straight from its skull, after first mixing it with sago worms.
The naming of a child was also a bloody ritual. First, they would find out the name of a man from a neighbouring village, and then hunt him down and take his skull back to their village, before conferring the dead man’s name on the child.
2. Dani Tribe
Source: Flickr
Located in a fertile valley, the Dani tribe is often at war for territory, and is one of the most feared head hunting tribes, although they do not have cannibalistic tendencies. They are also famous for smoked mummies of famous tribesmen. Used to tourists now, the Dani Tribe are fond of showing such mummies off to foreigners.
A brutal custom the Dani tribe has is the chopping off of a finger segment of female relatives when someone in the village passes away. Tourists can observe mutilated female hands up till today.
3. Yali Tribe
Source: Flickr
The Yali Tribe are a small pygmy people, where adult males are no taller than 150cm. They are small but deadly, and are merciless towards their enemies. After cannibalising their victims, they would also grind his bones into dust and throw them into the valley.
4. Bali Aga
The Bali Aga people, of course, are located in Bali, and are also known as the old people of Bali. They are a peaceful and quiet tribe located in isolated mountain regions. They are popular for their double Ikat cloth, as well as unique cremation method of leaving a body out to decompose under a bamboo cage.
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