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| The Baliem Valley Baliem valley, located in the central highland of Papua, is the most visited area of Papua. The fertile valley 1500 meters above sea level has been discovered in 1938, but people have been farming in the valley for thousands of years. Wamena is the valley's largest town and is the capital of the Jayawijaya district with a population of 65,000. The valley and its surrounding mountains with peaks over 3000 meters are the home of three friendly tribes. The Dani inhabit the base of the valley. The Lani are in the western mountain area and the Yali tribe in the south and east of the valley. All tribes have distinctive cultures and languages, but all men wear a koteka or penis gourd. Each tribe cultivate their own. The Dani use a small thin koteka. The Lani use a wide medium koteka and the Yali use the largest one, sometimes held up with rattan hoops. |
The women wear grass skirts and sometimes |