Finger Amputation
Source: NETCLIQUE
Until recently, female members of the Dani tribe of Western Papa, New Guinea would have a finger amputated each time an immediate family member died. The ritual was voluntary and served as an outward expression of internal pain — and to appease the ancestral ghost.
Source: NETCLIQUE
“Before amputation, they will tie a string tightly around the upper half of their finger for 30 minutes, allowing it to go numb for a (near) painless removal. Often it is a close family member—sibling or parent—who cuts the finger. After removal, the open sores are cauterized, both to prevent bleeding and in order to form new-callused fingertips.” according to The Plaid Zebra.
The severed finger pieces were then burned in the ashes of the funeral fire – which would then be kept in a place sacred to the family.
Photo by Peter A. Bostrom Source: Lithic Casting Lab
Although it is now a rare practice (and officially banned some years ago), many older women of the Dani tribe recognize the lure of the now-anachronistic practice, and are quick to show their mutilated hands to tourists and photographers.
