Ima Wusan III
Objectcode
FI/40/16
Film by Father Jules Camps OFM, recorded in the 1970s in his working area in the highlands of Irian Jaya. Ima Wusan is a "cleansing ritual or confession ceremony held to forgive a particular slip by going down into the water' (J. Camps).
Contents
For a detailed description of the ima wusan ritual, see Ima Wusan I (Camps 9) and Ima Wusan II (Camps 10). Ima Wusan III: Poles made of two branches tied together at the top are placed on cabins. Pigs are shot and a fire is made. A strip of barren land [outside the village]. At one end a fire is made, at the other end is water. Halfway a gate made of two branches bound together is put up. The men stand on both sides of the strip and lift one leg. A burning branch is passed under their feet. Short branches with leaves are made into rods. A man, carrying a stick over his right shoulder, plunges the rod into the water at the end of the strip. People walk through the gate (first the men, then the women) and have their legs and hands wiped by the wet rod. The man touches the heads of children by hand as well. Then the men and women have a line drawn on the sternum and the right buttock. The film ends at the fire in the village.
Title
Camps 11
Year
1973
Technical detail
Dating
1-2-1973 - 28-2-1973
Color
Silent
Thesaurus terms
Cultural
Cultural origin » Papua » Central Highlands » Centrale Highlands » Baliem Valley » Dani
Geographic
Geographical term » Papua » Division Hollandia » Explorationressort Eastern Highlands » Baliem
References
PACE collection
Ima Wusan II, Ima Wusan III