Dead Birds

Dead Birds is a film about the Dani, a people living high in the mountains of West Papua - New Guinea. When the film was shot in 1961 the Dani had a classic neolitic culture. They were characterised by a system of ritual warfare, where neighboring groups engaged in frequent battles. When a warrior, a woman or a child was killed, the death had to be avenged, and there was no thought of wars ending. "Dead Birds" has a meaning which is both immediate and allegorical. In the Dani language, it refers both to the weapons and ornaments recovered in battle, as well as to the Dani belief that people, because they are like birds, must die. (One World)