The people of Jayawijaya regency can be subdivided into many different groups, but the three broadest tribes are the Dani, Western Dani or Lani, and the Yali. Dani people are instantly recognizable, because they use the thin end of a gourd for their horim : the length of the gourd encloses the penis and points it upwards in a permanent erection. Dani headdresses are made of cockerel feathers in a fetching circular crown. Dani women wear knee-length skirts, traditionally made of grass, and usually go bare-chested. All women are considered to be witches in the highlands, with powerful magic that increases with age.

The Yali , who come from the east of the Baliem, have a different kind of horim. They use the thick end of the gourd but it points straight out at right angles to the body from beneath a rattan skirt. The Lani cover their heads in a spray of cassowary feathers, which spills out over the head and hair. Their horim are also made from the thick end of the gourd but are secured around the waist by a wide, brightly coloured sash. Often the top of their gourd is used as a pouch for money or tobacco.

Even during freezing cold evenings, valley peoples remain practically naked, coating their bodies with insulating pig fat. The traditional weapon of the valley is the bow and arrow. A four-pronged arrow is for shooting birds, three prongs are used to fish, a single bamboo is used on pigs, and a shaft of wood or bone is for people.