Potong Jari Ritual in Wamena City, Papua Province
Spending a vacation in the easternmost province of Indonesia sounds tiring and troublesome, no? Well, it becomes fun and memorable if tourists know what they are going to get. For instance, they may find a unique and tarrying ritual in Wamena City of Jayawijaya Village in Papua Province. The name is Potong Jari. “Potong” means to cut while “Jari” means fingers. That is true. The locals conduct this scary and sacred ritual when one or more of their family members die. The purpose is to show both faith and love for the deceased! This ritual belongs to Dani Tribe, actually.
The Nuance
For the information, another name is Iki Palek. Even though Potong Jari sounds creepy, but it has a deep meaning. The locals conduct it to show what’s in their heart. It represents a deep sorrow and sadness. For tourists, this phenomenon never fails to amuse them and they won’t find it in other places. Unfortunately, it is rare to be able to see the cutting procession directly. The locals are welcoming enough to show their hands to tourists, though. Visitors are even allowed to take photos of it.
More about Potong Jari
One of the reasons why Potong Jari tradition lures lots of tourists is related to the meaning. As mentioned before, it represents a deep bereavement. The pain in cutting the fingers would represent the pain of the heart when losing someone important (death). Another meaning is that the ritual shows the loyalty to the family. One important thing is that the ritual is only done by local women! Men don’t do it, as they need to work hard for the families. Thus, they do not sacrifice the fingers despite the grief. Instead, they may cut some skins of their ears to show the loss.
Tourists who come to the Dani Tribe’s settlement may find local women who have lost one or more fingers! It indeed looks uncommon, but tourists consider it unique and interesting. No wonder, photography becomes the next reason why people keep coming to Wamena and meet those locals. That means they would take photos with them during the visit. As an alternative, they may ask those women to show their hands and take photos of these. The only consideration is related to the communication. For outsiders, it would be hard to talk to villagers so they need to find a reliable local guide first before coming.
Actually, tourists would be lucky if they can watch the procession directly. The locals don’t use special items to cut the fingers, in fact. It only involves either a traditional knife or ax. Some local women even may use their teeth and chew the fingers! What a terrifying ritual! No wonder, Potong Jari is also known by some foreigners or those who live outside the country.
Nearby Attractions
- Wamena Botanical Garden
- Mumi Jiwika
- Patung Salib Wamena
- Tirta Wijaya Temple
How to Get There
In order to reach Wamena City efficiently, the best transportation service would be an airplane. The flight takes about 30 minutes from Sentani Airport at Jayapura City and it takes around 11 hours from Soekarno – Hatta International Airport at Jakarta. Later, after arriving at Wamena, tourists can simply head to nearby local villages where the Dani Tribe lives. The purpose is to meet the locals who have cut some of their fingers, for sure.
Where to Stay
- Rainbow Hotel
- Cartenz Hotel
- Baliem Pilamo Hotel
