MelatiRaya

Great distance and rugged terrain separate the Yali area from Dani in the Baliem valley. The Yali people live in the virgin forest, glistening waterfall and rocky mountain terrain. The Yali people have a different language and dress than the Dani. They are shorter than Dani people and also different social structure. The men use “Koteka” or penis gourds with gyratory rattan their waist while women wear short skirts of grasses. The Yali people were cannibalism and closed to outsider before opened by Missionary in 1970’s. The local missionary introduced them to Christianity and taught Indonesia language. The missionary aircraft can charter to this area from Baliem valley with available from Monday to Friday or trek across the mountain tops for several days from Baliem valley.

Yaniruma is a home to Korowai people, the people who live in the Tree House. They live in cleared land deep in the rain forest with traditional way, some of them still holding the old beliefs and used to practice until Missionary arrived and built new settlement to get the Korowai and Kombai (the neighbor tribe) more developed.

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