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| Dani woman with children 14 x 11 inches, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2019 |
The Dani who live in the western (Indonesian) part of New Guinea are known for their appearances. Men wear penis sheaths that are quite long and pointy. The sheaths look vicious but I assume they function the opposite way as it keeps men from getting an erection and therefore discourages the idea of sexual intercourse. Women, when losing a dear one cut off a digit of one of their fingers, a painful way to mourn but it helps mourning I suppose. The oldest paintings known in the world are those of hand stencils found in Sulawesi, Indonesia and in Spain. Some fingers in these hand stencils have digits missing. Due to the same tradition of mourning? It is well established that many early hands were the hands of women. Were they the first artists? The French publisher NordSud compiled four discs with the music of the Dani. The most surprising tracks are a number of examples of throat singing, adding yet another geographic location this age old tradition is still being practiced.
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