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Showing grief at the funeral used to be manifested by emotional torture as well as physical pain in the custom, which was named Ikipalin. The female members of a particular Indonesian society called the Dani tribe practiced cutting off some parts of their fingers upon the death of their loved ones or family members (Wynarczyk). The woman’s finger was tied in the joint with some string for half an hour, thereby numbing it to lessen the pain of amputation and cut off the blood circulation (Psarreas-Murray). In most cases, the cleavage procedure was carried out with a special stone blade. Those sharpened tools presented the blunt force required to tear the phalanx and remove the upper section of a finger (Psarras-Murray). Despite the common use of the named implements, there was evidence of using an ax, and even cessation without any instrument (Wynarczyk). The wound was cauterized to prevent bleeding and to form new fingertip with scar tissue in its place. Afterward, the removed segments were dried and burned in the funeral fire, whereas their ashes were either conserved in amputee’s home or buried in a specially designated area (Psarreas-Murray). This is the most detailed description of the procedure evident today.
It applied mostly to older women as the excessive loss of their loved ones could be observed by their diminished hands. It should be noted that rarely some older men were subject to the named procedure too (Psarreas-Murray). However, the practice carried down to female newborns, who had the tips of their fingers amputated by their mothers in a comparable ceremony (Wynarczyk). In addition to that, some of the participants were forced to experiencing this custom. Sometimes, people had worries that losing a finger did not convey their sense of grief fully. In such cases, they chose to remove an ear or to cover themselves with river sludge and refuse bathing for weeks (Psarreas-Murray). The overall service is banned now, but it is still conducted secretly and sporadically.
This specific tradition meant an expression of grief because of the death of a loved individual. Typical mourning practice was considered as a means to satisfy ancestral ghosts (Wynarczyk). Furthermore, the custom is likely to be originated when the infant mortality rate among the Dani was high due to various causes. Some evidence suggests that applying Ikipalin to young babies was intended to make babies appear different from those who died before them and, in such a way, save their lives (Psarreas-Murray). Another sacral meaning of it came from the belief that influential Dani members would have the same power in death. The action meant to keep restless spirits away and avoid an ancestor’s ill will (Psarreas-Murray). Namely, the stored ashes of fingers had the meaning of warding off the powerful spirits of those who passed away. Moreover, the tribe mummified the bodies of dead people, which one more peculiarity of their culture that shows respect to them (Wynarczyk). Ikipalin could be connected with this ritual in cultural meaning too.
The Dani tribe had a philosophy which states that “each finger of the hand is related to life, universe, and each other” (Psarreas-Murray). It is explained by the fact that operating fully one’s hand needs all fingers, although individual parts can still work somehow. There was an analogy with people in the community, where if one was hurt, it would reduce the potential of all others. This idea unfolds the readiness of the member of the tribe to sacrifice their fingers (Psarreas-Murray). The meaning behind the tradition manifested the strong affection and love towards the dead person. It means that their physical wound was a connection to the world and relatives and fellows who have died before them (Wynarczyk). It can be concluded that the Dani people highly valued human relationships as they were willing to provide the part of their functional body to build connections.
The named practice can be understandable by supporters and adherents of western culture. Patients with anxiety or depression sometimes tend to cut themselves to convert their mental struggle into something more substantial. It is accepted that such kind of application of physical pain can serve as a visual marker. Furthermore, the discussed action help to cope with the difficulties with time healing personal and internal injuries. Some consider this self-destructive act as the only way to step away from emotional torture, which can be extremely difficult to overcome. Similarly, the people of the Dani tribe used the same concept as the basis for their tradition (Psarreas-Murray). The physical manifestation of pain was an essential part of expressing emotional misery. Although their injuries eventually healed, the numerous scars from their loss would remind them and people around about their loss.
Still, the custom might intervene in the fundamental human rights, in those terms when the procedure is conducted by compulsion. As the subject left somewhat disabled, forcing to apply this procedure was harmful to the affected individual. Moreover, there were hygienical issues concerning this procedure, which could result in unwanted consequences, including blood infections. In the past, local doctors used herbs to prevent infections (Wynarczyk). Such measures were not always effective and sufficient to help. I am convinced that moral cultural relativism can be adopted for this tradition when there is no human freedom violation. Hence, I believe that only if the consent for operation is achieved, can it be accepted as the specific way of expressing the grief. Furthermore, it is significantly better if the participants conduct it in sterilized conditions, and a medical professional can provide assistance when required.
In addition to that, it is not understandable why the ritual aims the women. As there are no clear reasons for such a tendency, it might be regarded as gender inequality and women’s oppression. Only some elderly men are shown to have traces of the tradition effect, and statistically, more women are impacted. Moreover, biting off the finger of female newborns is the factor that makes the whole ritual impossible to adopt for moral cultural relativism. The girls were made invalid at the beginning of their lives without any freedom of choice for the sake of somebody they did not know. While adult women may intentionally experience Ikipalin, infants cannot be treated in the same way. As a result, the whole procedure is one more example of masculine dominance, a violation of fundamental rights.
In conclusion, Ikipalin is the tradition of the Dani females suffering physically by amputating their finger sections and emotionally because of torture of loss of a loved relative. There are also other versions of the custom, while the meaning is generally the same. Although the ritual could be seen as unacceptable because of ethnocentric principles, I assume that the practice can have a place in the modern world only if the subjects are willing.
Works Cited
Psarreas-Murray, Tricia. “Why And How Peoples Of The Dani Tribe Cut Off Fingers As A Way Of Mourning.” Ranker, 2020, Web.
Wynarczyk, Natasha. “Inside The Secretive Tribe Where Women Have Their Fingers Amputated When Their Loved Ones Die.” News.com.au, 2019, Web.
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