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The Yali

The Yali live in the eastern part of the Papuan (Irian Jaya) mountain range. This is northeast of the Dani groups. They live in a widely fissured mountain area. The temperatures are really chilly, but till today they didn´t develop clothes. By their separatingness many groups can keep their originallity till today.

There are many missions in this area, but the Yaly can keep their originally more longer than their neighbours the Dani. But this will be lost in the near future. The Yali men use till today some really special clothes. Around the hips they have hundreds of Rotanhoops. These hoops goes from the chest down to the backside of the knees.

A really large penisgourd is also very special for these tribe. The entire bundle of hoops is carried mainly by the shank of the penisgourd. These penisgourd is not so short like them from the Danis. It´s really enourmously long. The women use a significant skirt made from grass bundle. The skirt consists of a front as well as a back part.

The Yali was once a very martial people. They committed cannibalism because they want to get meat. Nobody was correctly save, but missionaries and pacifications destroy these rituals nearly completely. 30 years ago these old rituals where still in use. Today there are everywhere christian missions. Even in Angguruk, the capital of Yali, a German mission exists.

Really interesting is a pig celebration during a marriage. For this reason the Yali take out their really nice looking decorations from the huts. This will be hats, pigtoothes, necklace from shells and spears. In their hard daily live they don´t carry this anymore. Magnificent bird of paradise feathers decorate the womens. They can participate only in the edge of a pig celebration.

Text & pictures ŠHarald Melcher 1999

	The Yali live in the eastern part of the Papuan (Irian Jaya) mountain range. This is northeast of the Dani groups. They live in a widely fissured mountain area. The temperatures are really chilly, but till today they didn´t develop clothes. By their separatingness many groups can keep their originallity till today.
There are many missions in this area, but the Yaly can keep their originally more longer than their neighbours the Dani. But this will be lost in the near future. The Yali men use till today some really special clothes. Around the hips they have hundreds of Rotanhoops. These hoops goes from the chest down to the backside of the knees.
	A really large penisgourd is also very special for these tribe. The entire bundle of hoops is carried mainly by the shank of the penisgourd. These penisgourd is not so short like them from the Danis. It´s really enourmously long. The women use a significant skirt made from grass bundle. The skirt consists of a front as well as a back part.
The Yali was once a very martial people. They committed cannibalism because they want to get meat. Nobody was correctly save, but missionaries and pacifications destroy these rituals nearly completely. 30 years ago these old rituals where still in use. Today there are everywhere christian missions. Even in Angguruk, the capital of Yali, a German mission exists.
	Really interesting is a pig celebration during a marriage. For this reason the Yali take out their really nice looking decorations from the huts. This will be hats, pigtoothes, necklace from shells and spears. In their hard daily live they don´t carry this anymore. Magnificent bird of paradise feathers decorate the womens. They can participate only in the edge of a pig celebration.