Entering the Yali Tribe
We immerse ourselves in the Yali life in the village of Angurruk, in West Papua, Indonesia, through their people and their traditions. Join us on the mountain paths from Angurruk to Kurima, along the trails taken by the Yali people, who walk for several days to connect with the rest of the world
We immerse ourselves in Yali life in the village of Angurruk, in West Papua, Indonesia, through their people and their traditions. Join us on the mountain paths from Angurruk to Kurima, along the trails taken by the Yali people, who walk for several days to connect with the rest of the world.
For many years, I had my eyes on a remote part of Indonesia called West Papua where tribes still live today traditionally, isolated from the modern world we know. They inhabit mountains above 1,500 metres, reachable only by chartered plane or after several days walking through difficult terrain.
Few people have travelled here, but the rare photographs I saw and stories I read on these highlands tribes always inspired me greatly.
My decision to travel here was actually made when I saw the documentary The Salt of the Earth from German filmmaker Wim Wenders. It portrays the career and works of photographer Sebastião Salgado with a few sequences shot when he travelled to West Papua to photograph the Yali tribes in 2010. His images fascinated me and I needed to witness it myself.
In November 2016, I flew from Singapore to Wamena, in the heart of the Baliem Valley in West Papua. From there, I started my journey to visit and photograph the incredible Yali tribes.