Baliem Valley Festival

At last, the long-awaited Baliem Valley Cultural Festival (“Festival Budaya Lembah Baliem” in Indonesian) was at hand. We had scheduled our visit to coincide with the expected festival dates, not knowing exactly what day it would take place. The tourist office in Jayapura, when we had called from Surabaya, told us that it would be “before August 17” (and, surprisingly, they were correct.) In typical Indonesian fashion, we only found out the real date a few days beforehand. On the road to the festival location we passed groups of men dressed in full ceremonial costume. At the site, tourists and Papuans massed around a thatched grandstand in front of a large field. After hours of waiting, lavishly costumed Papuans carried in tied-up pigs and dumped them on the ground. Minor officials gave long-winded speeches under the blazing sun.


Arts and culture are preserved and will be displayed in the Baliem Valley Cultural Festival in 2011, among others, between the Tribe Shows War (history of tribal warfare), Dance-Dance customary appearance, Shows Racing Karapan Piglet (Pig Racing), Puradan (throwing game Rattan spear into a spinning sphere when thrown), Sikoko (using wood type pawn game in which a jump toward the target that has been appointed), Competition plays traditional brass instruments (Pikon), and various cultural competitions for foreign tourists like throwing spears (glass of) the targets that have been set correctly and archery (archery targets on the trunk).


To show the appearance of war, Kampung Wosiala, village Wosilimo Kurulu District local government has prepared a plot of land with an area of ​​yard field around 400mx250m, which can display performance maneuver around 500-1000 dancers.

Event Staging war scheduled for 2 days, with a showcase of tribal warfare, about 26 war group, which consists of 30-50 people per group. Then in a separate place game also features traditional music. Interestingly, not everyone Baliem can play this instrument, as it requires special expertise.

Pikon traditional music game is the music that made ​​from the bark of which is called in the vernacular "Hite" (bark for bows). While the song being played is an expression of the heart's content of music player in the ring and played to cheer her or his listeners.

Finally, the festival was officially opened with the slaughter of the pigs. Groups of warriors ran onto the field, hooting, yelling and brandishing their spears, bows and arrows. Two battle lines formed. Dust flew as the combatants ran back and forth at each other. Brandishing their weapons, they rushed the grandstand with fierce grimaces to frighten the tourists (and to pose for pictures). All of it was simulated, of course, but close enough to actual tribal warfare to seem real. A spear would sometimes be thrown in the path of the advancing enemy, or an overenthusiastic participant would let fly an arrow over the crowd.