Cutting Finger Tradition

Crying, maybe that's what we do when we're saddened by sadness. However, unlike the inland Papuans, they cut their own fingers to show their sadness. It sounds sadistic indeed, but that is one form of our cultural wealth.

For them, this tradition is symbolized as a form of deep sadness of loss of a deceased family member. The more we see the inland Papuans cutting their fingers, it can mean that many of their loved ones have died.

In fact, the former community of the Baliem Valley, a fairly well-known mountain valley, once uncovered the case of a mother who cut off her newborn's finger by biting her for wanting to remove the "bad luck" that had been so far in her life. He believes that he cut off his son's fingers then the misfortune he has been experiencing can be lost.