An explorer who spent a week with an Indonesian tribe was shocked to find women cutting off their own fingers and men looking after an ancient mummy.

Markus Roth visited the Dani Tribe from Baliem Valley, Highlands of West Papau, Indonesia, to document what life is like for the community.

While discovering their cuisine, basic life skills and rituals, Markus also witnessed their ‘pig festival’ - where the tribe killed a pig and proudly showed it off.

Alongside this, the females of the tribe are expected to cut off a finger for a family member that died, reports the Mirror.

Markus, from Pulheim, Germany, said: ‘One of the amazing things was the mummy of Kurulu, which is said to be at least 370 years old.

‘It is of a particularly successful and feared warrior, preserved in the men’s house in the village and shown to visitors with a great deal of pride.

‘I was told the warrior was adorned with one necklace for each enemy killed and the Danis commonly preserve their most successful warriors.

‘How close these people live with mother earth and how they try to resist all the modern things we have stood out to me.

‘They plant all they need and trade things with other villages. They still cook with fire and live separated in women and men houses.

‘The story with the cut off fingers - the tradition was that the women would cut off a finger for a family member that died.

‘They celebrated a pig festival for me - pigs are very expensive and the most valuable thing the village has to offer.

‘I think it would be pretty unfair if a westerner would describe these people as primitive - these people were just discovered in 1938 by pure coincidence.

‘It was an amazing experience interacting with them - they are shy, curious, wild and at the same time - very warm hearted.’