brommel
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Praying monkey
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Garbage city
During the day all sorts of scavengers pass by to sort out the waste. Some are picking iron or copper others glass or paper. A home dump as seen above will be turned up to ten times a day depending on the specialization of the ‘recyclists’.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Knife grinder
Jakarta, February 2009.
Labels: cycling, Indonesia, Jakarta, Jakarta home street, small business, vehicles
Friday, May 22, 2009
Dealing with foreigners
or at least without trousers.
Please note that Solo's kraton is fairly run-down or at least the places open for the Rupiah paying crowds. The highlight was the sign above.
Surakarta (Solo), Central Java, April 2009.
Labels: facts to know, Indonesia, Java, rules and regulation, weird
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Asmat colors
Red applied around a man’s eyes imitates the eye feathers of an angry cockatoo which brings fear to the enemy. Welcome to Asmat...
Beriten, Asmat, April 2009.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Asmat welcome
Beriten, Asmat, Papua, April 2009.
Labels: Asmat, famous destinations, festivities, heritage, identity, Indonesia, Papua, rites, tribes
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Crossing the waters: Reaching the Asmat tribe of Papua
The Asmat are a coastal people occupying a low-lying swampy region in southwestern Papua. Their homeland covers approximately 29,000 km² (similar to
The Asmat and their natural environment are intertwined, as the culture and way of life are heavily dependent on the rich natural resources found in their forests, rivers, and seas.
The forests are rich in game, mangroves and other trees make for an endless source of wood. The abundant sago palm is the staple food of the Asmat, who process its starch.
Rivers are the life line of the Asmat region, being the only transportation infrastructure. Since the tides can be felt up to 100 km from the sea shore, people have a strong connection to the movements of the water and boats play a very important role. They exist in plenty of sizes, from small, plain fishing boats to huge, intricately decorated war and ceremonial canoes, all of the dugout type.
This intimate link between people and trees is reflected in headhunting. People are like trees. Legs are roots, the body is the trunk, arms are branches and the head is fruit. Therefore, fruit-eating animals are symbols of headhunting. Like these animals eat fruit to live, the Asmat have to take heads to go on living. Hence, war canoes are often decorated with cockatoos, fruit bats, hornbills, or the praying mantis for an obvious reason. Death by natural cause is unknown, so death is to be avenged. When a death occurs, family and friends of the deceased roll in the mud of the riverbanks to hide their scent from the ghost of the deceased. Ceremonies ensure that the ghost passes to the land of the dead, referred to as ‘the other side’. The skull of a person's mother is often used as a pillow.
Labels: Asmat, famous destinations, Indonesia, Papua, trekking, tribes
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Ojek payung or rent a moving umbrella
With the first drops of rain the umbrella boys appear providing moving shelter for a small fee.
Labels: facts to know, Indonesia, Jakarta, poverty, small business
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Living with the dead
It was custom that successful chiefs or village elders who protected or defended the community in their lifetimes should offer protection after their death. As a fetish such elders were mummified by smoking and being kept in the upper level of the main hut.
Most of the century-old mummies were systematically destroyed as they didn’t match with modern belief systems being brought into Baliem valley in the 20st century. Some accounts inform that there are only three mummies left protecting the Dani people.
Akima, Baliem Valley, April 2009.
Labels: Dani tribe, death, heritage, history, Indonesia, Papua, tradition, tribes
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mourning, mutilation, spirits and Dani women
Funerals once were the most important Dani rite. They lasted several years, starting with mourning and the cremation of the deceased to drive the ghost from the living area. Elaborate rituals were held for important men and those killed in battle. The ghosts of these men were particularly powerful. Corpses of important Big Men were not cremated but mummified to be kept for supernatural reasons.
Labels: Dani tribe, facts to know, Indonesia, Papua, rites, ritual mutilation, tradition, tribes
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Friday, May 08, 2009
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Traditional Dani pig feast
A traditional Dani pig feast is something very special, not least due to the high pig prices on the market. Considering that a smaller pig starts at 1.5 to 2 million Rupiah (approx. US$ 180), such a feast is costly. Considering also decades of acculturation of the Papuan community by the Indonesian central government and such campaigns as ‘operation koteka’ designed to prevent Papuans from wearing their traditional clothes, we were not expecting that our contribution of a pig could be enough to revive traditions, but thankfully the traditions still exist, and can be taught to younger members of the community.
The pig feast involves a whole village, men, women, and children alike. Everybody has a distinct responsibility. Men take care of the pig and light the fire, women collect leaves and herbs in the forest and get sweet potatoes from the fields, and the children observe what the adults of their respective sex are doing, learn from them and help with minor and easy tasks.
The Dani tribesman responsible for the organization of the feast kills the pig with a single arrow shot, placed in such a way that bleeding can occur easily and that the entrails bag is not torn (see above). Once the pig is dead, another person cuts its ears and tail with a sharp bamboo piece (see below). These are to be kept as a memory of the feast.
After a first lining of leaves had been done, hot stones were carried into the cooking pit using wooden prongs.
Rattan was again used to ensure the stability of the heap.
Labels: brommel's best, Dani tribe, famous destinations, festivities, history, identity, Indonesia Java, Papua, pigs, tribes