Lani's Animism


I felt incredibly grateful to have Wamena on this adventure program's itinerary. I'm not an anthropology major, but my childhood love of Indiana Jones movies made me determined to one day meet the tribes of the Amazon interior. While trekking in Kurima, I encountered a group of Yali people.

The first inhabitants of the 60-kilometer Baliem Valley were the ancestors of the Dani people. The Dani are known as open-minded people, but their belief in their ancestors is very persistent. The Lani are indigenous to Ilaga, Puncak, Central Papua, and Lanny Jaya, Highland Papua.

The names of these people vary: in Bokondini, they are woda and weja, although they are no longer strictly exogamous, while in Panaga, they are wenda and woja. Seven minutes later, the torrential rain stopped, and the sky cleared. The 1920 expedition by Van Overeem and Kremer successfully discovered the Swart Valley and the Lani people who lived there.

Denise O'Brien's research in Kondaga from 1961 to 1963 found little evidence that this system was still in use. The Lani people generally adhere to animist beliefs, believing in ancestral spirits and the forces of nature. Christian missions since the late 19th century have not been able to diminish these animist beliefs.

However, Christian influence is also quite strong among them due to missionary work since the mid-20th century.

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