Damal people
The Damal or Damalme are a group of people living in the highlands of the Central Papua province of Indonesia. They primarily live in Beoga Valley along the river of Beogong. The Damal people are closely related to the Delem people and the Amungme people living in the southern lowland region. Delem is an ethnic group reportedly descended from the Damal people, Dani people, and Wano people.
Damalme | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia (Central Papua) | |
| Languages | |
| Damal-kal, Indonesian language | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (predominantly), Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Amung people, Dani people, Delem people, Lani people |
According to oral history, the Damal people came from a place called Mepingama in Baliem Valley, and then Kurima where they gathered, and Hitigima the place where they started creating Honai houses with thatched roofs. From Kurima the ancestors of many Papuan tribes including Damal traveled west and settled in Ilop which now are called Beoga and Ilaga. From their heartland in Beoga and Ilaga, some Damal moved to Jila, Alama, Bella, Stinga, Hoeya, Tembagapura (Kampung Waa), Aroanop, Timika, and Agimuga.