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The Lani people, commonly mistakenly referred to as the Dani by outsiders, are a people from the central highlands of West Papua/Irian Jaya. They are one of the most populous tribes in the highlands, and are found spread out through the highlands, even in areas they do not traditionally claim as their own.
The pig features very strongly in their local culture, being the most important tool used in bartering, especially in dowries. Likewise pig feasts are extremely important to celebrate events communally, the success of a feast, and that of a village chief or organiser, is often gauged by the number of pigs slaughtered. The Lani have an unusual method of cooking their pig, and other staple crops such as banana, cassava, and sago. They heat some stones in a fire till they are extremely hot, they then wrap cuts of meat and pieces of vegetable and banana inside of many big banana leaves. The food package is then lowered into a pit which has been lined with some of the hot stones described above, the remaining hot stones are then placed on top, and the pit is covered in grass and a cover to keep steam in. After a couple of hours of broiling, the pile is opened and food is removed from the pile and eaten.
The Lani are fairly articulate, the author has found, despite tourist brochures decribing trekking in the highlands with people from the 'stone age'. They are the most vocal in demanding independence from Indonesia, and every year numerous Lani are shot and imprisoned trying to raise the West Papuan flag, the Morning Star.
External Links
Of this downloadable reading material, the most interesting booklet is sure to be Just Leave Us Alone which is a letter home written by a young Lani man sent by his people to find out about "that Europe thing that is attacking us".
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