Wuon: Customary School of Meyah Tribe in West Papua

Meyah live in Ayai village, Tambrauw district in West Papua. This tribe maintains the wisdom of local culture by building customary schools. This school serves to preserve the sacred values and cultural heritage of the ancestors to the younger generation of this tribe. All these generations must study in this school. This school is referred to as Wuon. It is a traditional house for men to learn local wisdom and traditional values. The customary head in the village says that adat is the values of wisdom that can be a journey for a phase of life and that culture must be guarded by this tribe. The culture must be nurtured by all tribes in order to survive for many years.

Center for Cultural Learning

The values of local wisdom are not conveyed in written form but the moral message is conveyed in norm norms so that the culture can become a grip in everyday life. This school does not recognize the age limit because the child in the mother’s womb can learn in this school. The tribe says that the culture must be taught from childhood. Babies should get special treats such as diet and dietary restrictions to be obeyed by pregnant women. The baby will be exiled from the village until the age of 15 years. The child will be sent to Wuon with the greatest distance from this village. Usually, Wuon distance is 15 to 30 km from the village.

Customary schools are divided into three stages. Each stage takes three months, six months and one year. If there are people who already have a family, then the couple who comes from the adat school participants must follow the rules in the school. If a husband follows this school, then the rule must also be followed by the wife who lives in the village. If the person has an accident or died while attending a customary school, then the family will not be angry. The family believed that the incident was caused because the school participants had violated the rules in force at the school. The incident can bring disaster.

Educational Values

These are the sacred values for cultural education in the tribe so that the school’s participants must have a strong mentality. Participants must reach an agreement with the family before leaving for the school. Families should be able to accept the consequences when the participant is sick or dies. This is an accident that can happen to the school. If the participants violate the school rules, then educators will not be afraid to give severe punishment. Participants who successfully graduate from this school will be appreciated by the villagers. The participant has gone through obstacles during the school and the participant must be awarded. There are many people in the village that cannot face the education so that participants who graduate from the school will be greeted by a lively party. Customary schools also apply throughout the land of Papua. Humbold Bay established a school called Rumah Karawary to provide education to youth and youth. Rumsram is a school in Byak to educate youths who will conduct the Wor ceremony. This is a ceremony to cut the ends of the genital skin of a boy. Dominggus said that these customary schools have disappeared from the culture of several tribes. The Meyah are the only tribe that retains this culture.

Clans of Meyah Tribe

This tribe is a sub-tribe of a large tribe called the Arfak. This is a native inland Manokwari District. There are some local oral sources that reveal that this tribe originated from two male men named Ndifan and Ndin. The man is a native of the Anggi region. This area is the residence of the Sougb tribe. Ndin married a woman who lived in a coastal area called Wonggor. The marriage gave birth to a boy named Brim. Brim produces descendants called the tribe of Meyah and Moile with the Wonggor clan. Ndifan married a woman named Mpgot. The woman comes from Minyambouw and has a son who is referred to as Mbrdin. Mbrdin has a descendant called the Moile tribe with the Wonggor clan. Moile people say that this tribe is a descendant of Sougb with a beach with the Wonggor clan. Oral sources say that Wonggor comes from seawater crocodiles. There are other clans belonging to this tribe. The clans consist of Mandacan, Ayok, Bikiouw, Ullo, Pungwam, Tibiay, and Indow. The Ulo clan originates from a small upstream river called the Wariori River.

That is a review of the customary schools in the Meyah tribe. Actually, this customary school is a good program to preserve the culture of traditional tribes in West Papua but modernization makes many tribes leave the school. Actually, cultural programs should be included as a lesson in public schools so that the younger generation does not forget the history of the tribe in Papua. The younger generation should be able to appreciate the culture. The younger generation will become the foundation of the future so that young people must be educated with useful knowledge for the nation.

Source: https://westpapuaupdate.com/wuon-customary-school-meyah-tribe-west-papua/

 

West Papua Economic Potential Growth

West Papua is now flourishing like it has never before. From infrastructure development and economic growth, to improvement in welfare and health facilities. Thanks to the latest National Medium Term Development Plan, both the West and the Papua regions become a top priority. Something that should have been done decades ago.

The development program under the latest administration aims to improve not only the supporting infrastructures. But also to significantly improve the quality of life of Papuans, both from the economic point of view and welfare. Said program comprises of development plans such as Sorong Special Economic Zone, One-National Fuel Price, Sea-Toll, and Trans Papua Road.

Initially skeptical about the commitment of their own government, now Papuans no longer question their seriousness. For such a long time, the eastern region of Indonesia often felt like a step children. Despite being one of the richest regions in the world for a large variety of natural resources. More than 25-percent of its total population live under the poverty line, lacking in the most basic infrastructures.

On top of that, the economic growth of both West Papua and Papua region declined, going from bad to worse. In 2014, statistics showed that these remote provinces only recorded 1.8-percent of growth. As comparison, for years in the past, the region managed to record an impressive 14-percent growth. This steady trip down the ladder finally woke up the government from its trance.

With the current development plan, the Papuans have seen rapid improvement. Not only in the sense of new infrastructures, but also quality of life. Their economic development has been improving albeit slowly. As one of the popular idiom says, “slow and steady win the race.” The Indonesian government clearly adopted the concept with its development plans.

Positive trend

Slowly but surely, West Papua manages to recover and shows a favorable trend. The region annual economic growth is now recorded at 7.97-percent, which is a 0.76-percent increase in a single year. By steadily improving every sector involved and developing or upgrading supporting infrastructures, this favorable growth is predicted to continue.

The decreasing rates of the population living in poverty perhaps become the major highlight of this successful program. Despite the fact that the development stage is still ongoing, positive changes can already be seen and enjoyed by many. Lukas Enembe as the governor of Papua said that there is a 1.88-percent decrease in poverty rate.

This is not to say that the rapid growth can only be enjoyed in Papua, however. The province of West Papua also experienced similar positive impact. According to statistics released by the Central Bureau of Statistics of West Papua, the decrease in poverty rate is 0.53-percent. Meaning the number of people living below the poverty line has decreased from 26.26-percent to 25.73-percent in a year time.

West Papua’s Human Development Index undoubtedly keeps increasing as result. From 57.25-percent, to a whopping 61.73-percent in the span of a year. Such improvement undoubtedly makes for an incredibly positive impact. Not only in the area of welfare enhancement, but also the human development area. Brighter future undoubtedly awaits ahead of the hopeful Papuans.

Economic potentials

Located along the equator line making West Papua one of the best places for tourism. Perhaps being a remote island region comes with its perks, the natural beauty is untouched. With vivid crystalline waters, virgin environment, and a large variety of marine species. This region has recently gained traction with many divers and keen adventurers making West Papua as their destination.

With booming tourism sector, West Papua will benefit from the latest development program in more ways than one. Soon the hidden gem will be more easily accessible. But tourism sector is not the only economic potential of this region. Even long before the tourism sector gets the attention it deserves, West Papua has benefited from its vital economic industries.

· Mining industries

The region boasts becomes one of the key mining industries next to South Africa. Yes, West Papua indeed becomes the number one and largest gold mining industry in the world. Not only that, it also becomes the second largest copper-mining industry. The mining areas are laid from the border of Papua New Guinea, to Mount Grasberg.

· Palm oil industries

Situated along the equator line also makes it the home of a myriad of natural resources. With lush greeneries and a large amount of palm trees all-year around, it’s no wonder that this tropical island also becomes Indonesian’s main palm oil producer. This popularity quickly spreads and many palm oil manufacturers became to flock in.

· Agricultural and fishing industries

When it comes to the agricultural sector, many may not know about the region’s prowess in handling it. Crops such as Wamena’s Coffee, cocoa, seaweed and yam are among the things that the government has been exploiting thus far. All of which have been wonderfully well-developed in various prominent areas in West Papua.

Source: https://westpapuaupdate.com/west-papua-economic-potential-growth/

Accelerated Economic and Infrastructure Development in West Papua

West Papua may no longer be as sparsely populated or remote as its neighboring region, Papua New Guinea. However, when it comes to economic and infrastructure development, the Indonesian government still has a lot of work to do. At present, the focus of Indonesian government is indeed moving towards the eastern region including both Papua and the West.

To show commitment, the government included both West Papua and Papua provinces in the National Medium Term Development Plan. This medium-term plan came into effect in 2015 and will last until 2019. As if to prove seriousness, the government has also started building various infrastructures. The 5-year long plan consists no less than 59 infrastructure projects for the West region alone.

The wind of change

The eastern Indonesia region may be widely known as one of the richest in terms of natural resources. Not only in the nation, but also across the globe. It’s unfortunate that the region remains one of the most difficult to reach. Inadequate transportation and infrastructure, as well as poor maintenance affected Papua’s contribution to Indonesian economy.

Economic growth in the province took a deep hit in 2014. Previously recorded at 14.8-percent, in 2014 the growth fell all the way down to roughly 3.25-percent. Such declining trend undoubtedly affected global commodity and price movements. However, it’s worth noting that when compared side by side, West Papua was still considerably stronger by 5-percent than Papua.

These issues were not lost on the current Indonesian President as he stated during the time he took the office. Joko Widodo made it clear that infrastructure development across the archipelago was one of his main policies. He truly believed that adequate infrastructures would not only boost local economy, but also raise their living standards.

West Papua, along with Papua, were at the top of his priority list. The fact that these remote regions have largely been untouched and majority of its population living below the proverty line became his number one concern. At the time, many Papuans remain skeptical. Now three years into the development plan, the commitment of the Indonesian government is no longer questioned.

The government undeniably spends quite a huge chunk of money to make it happen. For these programs alone, the latest figure on the amount of money allocated last year is 6.4-billion. This amount is expected to raise as the program is still ongoing. Despite the fact that development is far from finish, the impact has already been seen.

Economic growth in both West and Papua provinces are improving in a surprisingly rapid manner. Last year alone, the economic growth improved to a whopping 8.76-percent each year. To understand the significance, the number is double the Indonesian national economic growth. This impressive improvement is predicted to continue along with the development of the regions’ infrastructures.

Sector contribution to West Papua economy

With the newly improving economic growth in West Papua and Papua, questions regarding their sensational declining trend in 2014 raise. West Papua did slightly well compared to the Papua region. To some, this might be confusing. Two remote provinces, completely different outcome. In order to understand the issue, one must be aware of the variables involved.

One of the variables is undoubtedly the contribution of various economic sectors of each province. Unlike its neighboring region, the economic of Papua region is largely dominated by the mining sector. At the time, this particular sector was struck down by the decreasing prices of global commodity. With more than 29-percent of share, it’s no wonder that the repercussion negative impacted the region.

This is not to say that the West Papuans do not benefit from the same sector, however. With just 20.7-percent contribution from mining, the region was not affected as badly. Not to mention the fact that West Papua is also supplemented by 30.1-percent share from oil and gas processing sector. With this addition, it was obvious that the negative impact could at least be balanced out from another post.

BP. Tangguh’s ongoing project which takes place in Teluk Bintuni has been the greatest economy contribution in West Papua. Whereas in Papua, PT. Freeport holds the honor. However, these two sectors are not the only thing that keeps the economy growing. The Papua region has always been relying on not only its mining sector, but also on the government services.

When the aforementioned services couldn’t be delivered on time due to inadequate infrastructures, Papuans in this region were badly hit. However, with the new development, it’s obvious that the future is bright for both the West Papua and Papua regions. As the home to various natural-based resources, adequate infrastructures are not only important but also critical.

This undoubtedly shows that this particular eastern Indonesia region does not only have incredible potentials in terms of economic growth. But also astounding degree of fund dependence from regional and state budgets. With the ongoing development, there is no doubt that economic growth in the West Papua region can be accelerated.

Source: https://westpapuaupdate.com/accelerated-economic-infrastructure-development-west-papua/

From Trikora to Pepera – Indonesia’s Take Over of West Papua

Pepera – activehistory.com

Indonesia proclaimed its Independence in 17th of August 1945. However, there is one region that remains as a diplomatic and political conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia. It was Western New Guinea (West Papua). Indonesia had always considered West Papua as a part of the its state, but the Dutch refuse to recognize it and illegally occupied the territory.

For more than 15 years, from its Independence Day until 1961, Indonesia failed to gain authority of West Papua. The Dutch argued that the West Papua territory did not belong to Indonesia since the people of West Papua is Melanesians—not Indonesians. While it is true that Melanesian was physically and ethnically different from Indonesian, the fact is Indonesia has always been a large home for Melanesians. Besides West Papua, Melanesians in Indonesia are located in Maluku Island, South Maluku, and East Nusa Tenggara.

Trikora – wordpress.com

Indonesia had pursued bilateral negotiations with the Netherlands regarding the status of West Papua. Took place at The Hague between December 1950 and January 1952, these meetings failed to produce an agreement. In 1954, Indonesia also attempted to raise support from United Nations (UN) and having it placed on the agenda for the ninth session at UN General Assembly. In response, the Netherlands represented by Herman van Roijen (Dutch Ambassador to the UN) warned to ignore any recommendation to be made on that assembly.

Once again, Indonesia’s effort for West Papua dispute was without success. This has made Indonesian government envision further and became more strategic—it came to a sense that taking over West Papua requires a strategy which combined diplomatic, political, and economic pressure, along with military invasion. Soekarno emphasized this issue as an important priority on his presidency through many of his speeches, and gain popular support from the Indonesian public. By 1953, the West Papua dispute had become the central issue in Indonesian domestic politics.

Indonesian government embarked on a national campaign targeting Dutch economic interests in Indonesia in November 1957. This led to the withdrawal of the Dutch flag carrier KLM’s landing rights, the take over of Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM) shipping line along with Dutch-owned banks and other states, mass demonstrations, and many more. By January 1958, ten thousand Dutch residents in Indonesia left, mostly returned to the Netherlands.

On 19 December 1961, President Soekarno declare the Tri Komando Rakyat (Trikora) or People’s Triple Command. The content of Trikora was pretty clear and assertive:

• Stop the execution of Papua becoming a doll-country by the Netherlands
• Raise the red-and-white flag of Indonesia in West Irian (Papua)
• Prepare for general mobilization to preserve the independence and unity of Indonesia

With the objective of liberating West Papua by 1 January 1963, Trikora operation was started by establishing a special team called Komando Mandala Pembebasan Irian Barat (the Mandala Command). This team was under the command of Major-General Soeharto, and headquartered in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The Mandala Command enforced Trikora Operation in three phases: infiltration, exploitation, and consolidation.

Pepera – activehistory.com

The infiltration phase began in January 1962. The first attempt for an amphibious landing was failed and ended disastrously, in which many crew members and marines were killed; along with numerous Indonesian navy boats experienced bad damages. However, over the next 8 months, Indonesia successfully infiltrate 1154 troops through the air and 562 armies by the sea. In mid-1962, Indonesian military activity continued to escalate in the area, preparing for the second pace of Trikora Operation

The exploitation phase was executed by targeting the Netherlands’ main power base in West Papua, at Biak island. On 13 and 14 August 1962, a force of 7000 paratroops, 4500 marines, and 13000 armies deployed to fight against the Dutch military base at Biak. At that time, the Netherlands government was struggling to gain international military support. On the other hand, Indonesia was supported by the Soviet military assistance.

On 15 August 1962, the Netherlands agreed to sign the New York Agreement, consisting several important points. Firstly, the Netherlands officially transfer the authority of West Papua to UN by 1 October 1962. Then, Indonesian flag was raised in West Papua, along with UN flag, started from 31 December 1962 until UN officially handed over the authority of West Papua to Indonesia. It was a huge diplomatic triumph for Indonesia because West Papua finally got international recognition as a legitimate territory of Indonesia.

However, West Papua would not automatically handed-over to Indonesia. As one of the most important points of New York Agreement was the arrangement for the Act of Free Choice, Indonesia must give the West Papua inhabitants freedom to choose, whether they want to join Indonesia or not. It was then called Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat (Pepera) under UN supervision.

During the Act of Free Choice, representatives came to vote simply by raising their hand to make a choice. Representation system in an election is very common in Papua, they called it Noken. Once everybody knew who or what they wanted to choose, a representative would be sent to make the vote. After the voting, their decisions was made, and the UN respected the result. In 1969, West Papua then officially became the territory of Indonesia.

Source: https://onwestpapua.com/trikora-pepera-indonesias-take-west-papua/

Uncover Melanesian in Indonesia

Melanesians – bigthink.com

Melanesia comes from Greek Language, Melano (black) and Nesos (island), which means the black islands that spread from Indonesia to Fiji. Melanesia also means a human population which owns dark skin, curly hair, strong and big bone anatomy, most likely has an athletic body posture.

Melanesia name was first used by Jules Dumont d’urville in 1832 to differentiate the ethnic group that was newly identified in the Pacific region.

Melanesian in Indonesia

Melanesians – pinterest.com

There are seven countries in the worlds considered as the home of Melanesian, i.e., Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji. Within these seven countries, Melanesian speaks 1,319 different languages and has various culture. However, these huge amounts of language can be divided into two language groups, The Austronesian and Papuan Language.

In Indonesia, the Melanesian lives in East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua province. Melanesian population in Indonesia reaches 11 Million people, which is the highest population compared to other Melanesian countries.

Archeologist said that Melanesian has lived in Indonesia since 60,000 – 30,000 years ago. To support their livelihood, in the past most Melanesian used bow and arrow to collect food. They were hunting and fighting, sometimes among local ethnic groups, to secure their land territory. Some Melanesian are also handy in fishing and farming, depending on the geographical place they live.

Around 4,300 years ago when the Austronesian come to Indonesia, there was culture acculturation between the Austronesian and Melanesian. And when Indonesia had their freedom from colonialism, the two races started to unite, blending into one.

According to Archeologist from National Archeology Research Center, Harry Truman, the diversity of Indonesian is influenced by the migration wave and different path of human race journey. He believes that Indonesians originally came from Africa. The first migrant from Africa reached Indonesia around 60,000 years ago, proven by the hand painting in Maros. Followed by the next migration from the mainland of Asia around 12,000 years ago by the end of the ice age, this group is known as Austromelanesia or Austroasiatic. The next migration wave to Indonesia was from Taiwan (out of Taiwan theory) or Austronesia/Mongoloid around 4,000 years ago.

Today, the Austronesian mostly lives in the west part of Indonesia (Sumatera, Java, Borneo, Bali, and Lombok) and the Melanesian lives in the east part of Indonesia (East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Papua). The mixed race between Austronesian and Melanesian mostly live in East Nusa Tenggara and Maluku in the coastal area.

Melanesian that speaks Austronesian language borrows some culture from the Melanesian – Papuan language; chewing betel is one of the examples. However, the Melanesian – Austronesian also have their typical cultures, such as connective woven, house architecture, sago processing, and engraving.

Famous Melanesians in Indonesia

Glenn fredly – okeinfo.net

Many Melanesians are famous throughout Indonesia. Indonesian youth nowadays must recognize names such as Glen Fredly, Daniel Sahuleka, Edo Kondologit, Ari Sihasale, Nowela. They are famous musicians and artists from Maluku and Papua.

Even back then, many Melanesian heroes fought for Indonesia’s freedom from colonialism. Indonesian children surely knew Johannes Latuharhary, Martha Christina Tiahahu, Thomas Matulessy or Pattimura, and Frans Seda. All of them are Indonesia’s National Heroes from East Indonesia.

Melanesian Countries Cooperation

Melanesians – bigthink.com

All of the Melanesian countries experienced colonialism. The first colonialism in Melanesia started in 1660 when the Dutch declared their ownership of Papua. Followed by Britain, Australia, Germany, and Japan, they established their colonial claims among Melanesian countries. Soon after the World War II, one by one these countries declared their independence and started to build an alliance.

To strengthen the cooperation, every year Melanesian countries hold the International Conference on Melanesian World. Indonesia hosted this conference back in 2015. The 2015 International Conference on Melanesian World gave birth the Kupang Message that highlights the Melanesian culture partnership.

Kupang Message mentions the importance of Melanesian Culture Festival to strengthen the brotherhood of Melanesian countries. Kupang Message also declares the Melanesian countries commitment to building a good cooperation as well as highlight the traditional culture and value among Melanesian. Therefore, through cultural and cooperation approach, hopefully, the relation among Melanesian countries becomes the key element to reach the prosperity goals and solidarity among the countries.

For the next step, by the year of 2018, The Solomon Island will be the host for Melanesian Art and Culture Festival (MACFest). This festival is regularly held every four years and aims to bring together all Melanesian countries in a cultural celebration. The theme for MACFest 2018 is Past Recollection for Future Connections. A bold statement to not forget the ancestor culture for a better alliance among Melanesian countries in the future.

So, those are the history of Melanesian in Indonesia. One of biggest populations in Indonesia that have given an extraordinary role model for other populations. For thousands of years, both Austronesian and Melanesian live together peacefully. Hopefully, Indonesia’s future generation is able to carry out the Melanesian life value in their daily life and live in harmony.

Source: https://onwestpapua.com/uncover-melanesian-indonesia/