Wolani people explained

Group:Wolani people
Wodani people
Population:6,920[1]
Popplace: Indonesia (Central Papua)
Langs:Wolani language, Indonesian language
Rels:Animism (predominantly), Christianity
Related:Ekari people, Moni people

The Wolani or Wodani are a people in the Indonesian Paniai regency (kabupaten) of the Central Papua Province in Western New Guinea. Numbering about 5000 in 1992, they are farmers who live in the central highlands northeast of Lake Paniai, along the Kemandoga and Mbiyandogo rivers. Many Wolani converted to Christianity but, like elsewhere in Indonesia, they retain their traditional religion. They speak Wolani, which is affiliated with the western branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages, similar to the nearby Ekari and Moni languages.

It is not clear if the Wolani are a subgroup of the Lani. There is some imprecision in the classification of cultures in this region, with the Lani often being identified with a larger group, the Dani.

Representations in Media

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wolani in Indonesia . . 2014-09-18.
  2. Web site: Tribal Odyssey: The Wolani, West Papua. www.thetvdb.com. 2018-04-17.