At the time of funeral a cruel practice was done in Indonesia’s Dani tribe for years. Mourning was done at the price of making many handicapped for life. The extent of mourning depended on the status of the dead. Some people were considered very powerful and so were their spirits. Shocking practices were done to drive away the ghost of the dead from the living area and their bodies were mummified.
Women smeared their faces with ashes and clay to express their sorrow and grief. The upper part of the girls fingers were cut. The fingers were tied off with string half an hour before the ax fell. After wards, the finger’s upper parts were left to dry, burned, and the ashes were buried in a special place.
The practice is now prohibited but we can still find many women as a living example of this cruel mourning custom. This is the most painful and shocking expression of grief making the living half dead with the death of their relatives.
Sickening.