WARNING: Graphic content

Emotional pain is part of the grieving process for most of us — but for the women of the Dani tribe it involves physical pain too.

When their loved ones die, female members of the remote Indonesian tribe have the upper half of their fingers amputated in a ritual to ward off spirits.

It’s believed finger cutting keeps the deceased person’s restless spirit away, as well as symbolising the pain of bereavement — some babies even have their fingers bitten off by their mothers.

Their unusual practice of finger amputation, called Ikipalin, was banned by the Indonesian government a few years ago — however, many older female members of the tribe can be identified by their hands, and it’s believed this practice still continues in secret.

The 250,000-strong tribe lives deep in the highlands of Western New Guinea, and American explorer Richard Archbold reported spotting them during a flight over the area in 1938.

The tribe also wears ornate penis sheaths and mummifies their dead.

AMPUTATED WITH A STONE BLADE

It is not known when the practice first started, or why women are targeted instead of men.

However, it is a common ritual that takes place in the grieving period and is usually performed by another close family member.

A stone blade is often used to amputate the top part of a finger. However the amputations can also be done without tools.

In these cases, people chew at the knuckles to weaken them then use a piece of rope tied around the finger to cut off circulation.

Another option is to tie up the joints in order to stop blood flowing to the area — the muscles and nerves die due to oxygen deprivation, and the dead part of the finger falls off.

After the finger is removed, the open sore is cauterised to stop bleeding, and the detached part is either burned or buried somewhere special.

BITING BABIES’ FINGERS

It’s usually older women who have their fingers chopped, but there have been reports of mothers biting off the tips of their babies’ fingers as part of another ritual.

It was thought if a mother bit their child’s fingers, it would make their child live longer as they would be different from the others.

WEARING PENIS SHEATHS TO COVER THEIR MANHOOD

In 2016, photographer Teh Han Lin travelled to Papua New Guinea to spend four days living with and photographing the Dani people.

His intimate photos show tribesmen wearing a traditional item of clothing known as a “koteka” — a penis sheath.

Usually made from dried-out gourd, (a local fruit), the koteka was thought to have been worn as a display of sexual prowess. However, the Dani use it simply to cover themselves.

In the early 1970s, the Indonesian government launched “Operasi Koteka”, aka Operation Penis Sheath, to try and modernise the Dani, encouraging them to wear shorts instead.

But the plan failed, and they still wear the eye-catching items of clothing.

MUMMIFYING FEARSOME WARRIORS

Another explorer, German Markus Roth, visited the tribe two years ago. He said as well as the finger cutting, they also mummified their most successful warriors.

He said: “One of the amazing things (I saw) was the mummy of Kurulu, which is said to be at least 370 years old.

“It is of a particularly successful and feared warrior, preserved in the men’s house in the village and shown to visitors with a great deal of pride.

“I was told the warrior was adorned with one necklace for each enemy killed, and the Danis commonly preserve their most successful warriors.”

Despite their unusual customs, Markus says he enjoyed his time with the Danis.

“It was an amazing experience interacting with them — they are shy, curious, wild, and at the same time, very warm-hearted,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission