Baliem Valley 

Baliem Valley is a valley in the Jayawijaya Mountains and is the location of the capital of the Papua Mountains Province. The Baliem Valley is located at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains with beautiful and natural scenery. The temperature can reach 10 to 15 degrees Celsius at night.

Wamena was a point of departure for many expeditions. The Dani villages are visited by virtually every tourist who sets out in West Papua. Some villages even show their original customs and hold mock wars. Another thing that brought fame to the Dani tribe is the several hundred-year- old “smoked” mummies of famous tribesmen. Three of them can be seen in the Baliem Valley – in Aikima, Pumo, and Jiwika villages. The Baliem Valley area, inhabited by the Dani people, is the most fertile part of the highlands covering the west of New Guinea Island – Papua (Irian Jaya).

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Very often you will come across unique moments that you never want to miss. A number among  the more than a thousand war participants, do want to keep abreast with the outside world, so they adorn themselves with local regalia, while sporting flashy sunglasses: a personal ad of a trendy look meeting age-old tradition. Ask them politely to pose for you.  It’s an unusual anachronism not to be missed.

All you need to do during the festival is just observe and enjoy the mock war. The longer it gets, the nearer the spears and arrows get to hit the opponents. The closer the miss, the louder the roar from the hundreds of spectators. They have participated in these battles every year so that participants do get better each year.

The Balliem Valley Cultural Festival is a  very rare chance to witness clans from different indigenous tribes  displaying their culture and skills in tribal warfare, dance and  music. It is a truly unforgettable experience and a real once in a  lifetime opportunity. 

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  (Sali or saly) 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 villages or to raid others to avenge for tribe members killed, the Dani practiced 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.  View map of balem valley here.

Nowadays, Dani mock battles 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.