What rituals or practices do you take part in in your culture? For the Dani tribe of Indonesia, there is an essential ritual in the grieving process after losing a loved one. They call it "Ikipalin" and it includes the women of the tribe cutting off their fingertips after attending a funeral. The Dani tribe was discovered in 1938 by American philanthropist Richard Archbold and is located in the central highlands of Western New Guinea, in the province of Papua. This area can only be reached by plane and it is estimated that there are only around 250 000 inhabitants. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay “Wene Opakima dapulik Welaikarek mekehasik” is the Dani life philosophy which can be interpreted to give a very clear account about the origins of the finger amputation process. This quote expresses “a family, a house, a tribe, an ancestor, a language, a history, a blood”. Accordingly, the Ikipalin ritual symbolizes these beliefs and morals to a large extent. The exact origins of the process are not yet known, however why they identify fingers as a significant part of their culture has been studied in detail. Tribe members believe the fingers symbolize harmony, unity and strength. They believe that because their fingers are what they use to perform specific tasks, they are what connects them and makes them familiar. Are there special objects in your culture that symbolize your beliefs and feelings towards other members? Amputating fingertips when family members die satisfies many different aspects of their culture. Primarily, it is done to gratify the spirit of the lost individual, drive him away and show a sign of respect. Second, the physical pain endured during this process symbolizes the emotional suffering that the living community experiences. If a powerful tribal figure dies, this practice becomes significantly more imperative as the tribe believes that his strong spirit would linger and cause disturbances. Finally, they perform this ritual mainly because it represents how the tribe is affected after the death of a nearby member. The Dani believe that losing a family member is like losing a finger; with fewer fingers the tasks become increasingly difficult and their strength decreases, in the same way that the loss of one person in the community affects the productivity and survival of the entire Tribe. Another perspective they have is that bad luck due to death can be eliminated by removing the fingers. How do members implement this task? There are a couple of ways this is done to ensure the process is as painless as possible for the individual. It usually starts by tying a string tightly around the top half of the finger for 30 minutes, cutting off circulation. From here, within the culture, there are various tools used to amputate it, unless it falls off naturally due to lack of oxygen. These tools include axes, stone blades, or any other very sharp object such as bamboo. Once this stage is completed, the amputated finger is stored in a special and significant place or burned to ashes. The open wound on the individual's finger is first dressed with traditional leaves and herbs, then cauterized to create a new calloused tip. The entire procedure is usually performed by a very close member of the person's family, such as a spouse, sibling, or child. It is not entirely clear why this process is a norm that affects only the women of the tribe, but it is expected to be due to the fact that men perform heavy labor for the survival of the tribes..