Cenderawasih: The Bird from Paradise

Cenderawasih – beritanews.id

Cenderawasih, also known as the bird of paradise, is a member of Paradisaeaidae family with 13 genera and 43 types. These birds are largely found in East Indonesia region, Papua New Guinea, and East Australia. It is said that this bird rarely puts their feet on the ground, they prefer to fly or perch themselves on the wood branch. If they put their feet on the ground, it means that soon they will die. Therefore, people often called Cenderawasih as the bird of paradise, always fly, never touch the ground.

For some ethnic groups in Papua, Cenderawasih symbolizes a sacred nature. For this reason, Cenderawasih always becomes an offering in the cultural rituals. As for Malayan, Cenderawasih is mentioned in Tajul Muluk book, a codex from Arab countries. Inside the codex, Cenderawasih is believed to have many medicinal properties and bring luck to the trading business. As a result, many Malayan chases this bird for its feathers or keep the bird’s preserved (taxidermy) in order to bring luck in their life.

The mythology of Cenderawasih spreads over the world not only for Malayan and Indonesian. Chinese people believe that Cenderawasih is an embodiment of Phoenix bird, the messenger of happiness. According to Chinese tradition, this bird only appears in times of peace and prosperity. Knowing this, hundreds of years ago, the Sriwijaya Kingdom in Indonesia gave Cenderawasih as a present for the Chinese Emperor as a symbol of friendship for both nations.

Indonesia: The Home of Cenderawasih

Cendrawasih – hargaburung.id

Indonesia has the privilege of having the largest number of Cenderawasih species in the world. In fact, 30 types of Cenderawasih bird live in Indonesia, and 28 of them are living in Papua. Some of the commonly known species are Manukodia Crested-rolling (Manucodia comrii), Blue Cenderawasih (Paradisaea rudolphi), small-Yellow Cenderawasih (Paradisaea minor), Cenderawasih 12 Wired (Seleucidis melanoleuca), Paradigalla Long-tail (Paradigalla carunculate), Red Cenderawasih (Paradisaea rubra), and King Cenderawasih (Cicinnurus regius).

The size of Cenderawasih ranges from 50 grams and 15 centimeters up to 110 centimeters and 430 grams. The female Cenderawasih often is often smaller in size than the male.

In general, Cenderawasih feathers range from dark black to red-orange and sparkling green, also golden brown. The feathers of a male Cenderawasih are generally more beautiful compared to those of the female. The male feathers are glossies and have a mix of complicated colors. The male also often uses the beauty of their feathers to attract the female, especially during mating season. Some of the Paradisae genera also do a dance to attract the female Cenderawasih during the rutting.

As one of the homes to Cenderawasih, Papua Province officially makes Cenderawasih as a mascot for their province. They declare Cenderawasih 12 wired as their region symbol because these birds have beautiful colors, strong feet, and beak. Moreover, these birds have a loud voice and good flying endurance.

Preserved Cenderawasih, Preserved the Paradise

Cendrawasih – 1.bp.blogspot.com

Cenderawasih beautiful feathers often become an ornament in the traditional costume of Papuan. However, it’s not only Papuan that love using Cenderawasih feathers as decoration. Back in the 18th and 19th century, the European people love to have Cenderawasih feathers as accessories for their hats or clothes.

Back in the day, every high-class individual in Europe fancies wearing Cenderawasih feathers to draw attention. It is also said that during the year of 1820-1938, Cenderawasih trading to Europe was estimated to reach 3 million birds, which gave a huge profit for the Dutch Indies Government at that time.

However, the wild hunting of Cenderawasih feathers as well as the natural devastation have made Cenderawasih endangered species. Based on the research conducted back in 2012, we can only find 2-3 Cenderawasih birds per one kilometer in Papua. It is a smaller number compared to the year of 2000-2005, when we could still find 10-15 Cenderawasih birds per one kilometer in their habitat. However, it is not easy to preserve this bird, as it only produces one to two eggs in their reproducing cycle, which makes the number of this birds easily decreases due to the ecological change.

As an effort to preserve Cenerawasih for extinction, the government has issued a law to stop the wild hunting and illegal trading of Cenderawasih birds. Papua Government established Circular Letter no 660.1/6501/SET in June 2017 about the banning of using Cenderawasih and its feathers as accessories or souvenirs. Cendarawasih and its feathers are only allowed to use for cultural activity categorized as a sacred procession in Papua.

Some Ethnic groups in Papua have also implemented a cultural sanction for community members that killed Cenderawasih. The hardest sanction for this act is to drive away the law offenders from the village and to no longer consider them as the community member.

This condition also encourages the Papua Art Council to establish a competition in creating Cenderawasih birds imitate model as souvenirs, crown, or ornaments. Papua Art Council hopes that their movement will be able to save Cenderawasih birds.

So, for any of you that visit Papua, please make sure that you don’t buy Cenderawasih feathers or any souvenirs made from the bird. Together we can save Cenderawasih, the treasure of Indonesia country.

Source: https://onwestpapua.com/cenderawasih-bird-paradise/

 

West Papua during the Reign of Moluccan Monarchies

Sultan Baabdullah – i1.wp.com

The western part of New Guinea better known as West Papua literally conceals countless out of the ordinary facts. From the unbelievable range of 4,000-meter peaks to the exceptional Melanesian cultures, the black gem from the east has never been tiresome to shine. Historically, West Papua has gone through an array of political upheavals. Under the European conquest, the world’s second largest island got its name. The occurrence came to pass when a Portuguese explorer named Jorge de Menezes accidentally found the green land mass in 1526-27. The word of Papua refers to “frizzled hair” representing the physical appearance of the inhabitants.

Before being occupied by the government of Dutch East Indies in 1824 and becoming the 26^th Indonesian province in 1969, West Papua was not only taken control by the victorious Majapahit kingdom (as stated in a holy Hindu book named Kakawin Nagarakartagama) but also the neighboring rulers often dubbed the Moluccan Monarchies. According to a historical research, there were three Moluccan kingdoms used to be actively involved in territorial expansion – Tidore, Bacan, and Ternate. Not only were the Muslim-based empires influential in establishing East Indonesia in the past but they were also revered by the European colonials from British to Dutch.

West Papua under the Authority of Tidore Kingdom

Sultan Baabdullah – i1.wp.com

Western New Guinea mainly in the area of bird head and Raja Ampat Islands was once ruled by Sultan Baabullah from the Sultanate of Tidore in the 16^th century from 1570 to 1583. The monarchy sitting on a small island of northern Maluku with the same name was one of the largest and most powerful Indonesian kingdoms. In a brief, the glorious monarchy was initially known as Limau Duko or Kie Duko which means “volcano” before Islam invaded the island. The naming is basically relevant to the local geographical condition loaded with towering volcanoes. Then the name of Tidore which means “I have arrived” was taken.

Apart from the dominion of Sultan Baabullah, West Papua, in accordance with another trusted source, was a developed region under the reign of Sultan Mansyur, the famed 12^th king of Tidore Sultanate. The territorial expansion to the eastern part of Indonesia specifically the Halmahera and West Papua carried out in the 16^th century was overly intense. According to the 36^th king of Tidore Sultanate named Sultan Zainal Abidin “Alting” Syah, the main sovereignty of Tidore Kingdom covers two large areas – Nyili Gam and Nyili Papua.

The evidence how the Kingdom of Tidore successfully administered West Papua is written based on the copies of historical records. One of the citations says, “Lantas kagee Jou Kolano wolahi Kapita-Kapita kagee toma Maba, Buli, Bicoli se Patani ona yomote una terus toma Gebe la supaya yohoda kiye mega yoru-ruru, yo bapo ino uwa, toma Gebe madulu se I ronga “Papua”.” These utterances mean “Then the king Mansyur made an expedition to the regions of Lolobata, Bicoli, Maba, Buli, and the island of Patani. Once arriving there, the king asked the captains to go for further exploration to Gebe Island and investigate other islands behind it, “Papua”.

When West Papua was Ruled by the Kingdom of Bacan

West papua – ytimg.com

The clear substantiation indicating that West Papua was under the control of the Kingdom of Bacan is the information avowed in the book of New Guinea authored by a Dutch author, WC. Klein. He stated that the leaders of Papua once paid a visit into the kingdom of Bacan in 1569. The Bacan sultanate was a potent kingdom situated on the island of Bacan, Maluku islands. It was early governed by a king converting to Islam called Raja Zainulabidin. There were a number of kingdoms in the islands of Raja Ampat which were under the administration of Bacan monarchy.

The kingdoms under Bacan sovereignty include Lilinta/Misool Kingdom. The dominant rulers who made a significant social improvement were Abd al-Majid, Jamal ad-Din, and Bahar ad-Din Dekamboe. Another Islamic empire occupying the islands of Raja Ampat was the Kingdom of Waigama. The golden period of Waigama was under the control of Abd ar-Rahman, Hasan, and Syams ad-Din Tafalas.

The Tie between West Papua and the Kingdom of Ternate

Kingdom of ternate – 2.bp.blogspot.com

The authentic proof that West Papua was once possessed by the Kingdom of Ternate is through the presence of four kingdoms in Raja Ampat Islands. They cover the Kingdom of Waigeo with the capital of Wewayai, the Kingdom of Salawati with the capital of Samate, the Kingdom of Sailolof, and the Kingdom of Misol. One of the prominent leaders whose power was unbeatable is King Gadzun governing the Waigeo from 1900 to 1918.

In closing, West Papua had been deeply related to the Indonesian monarchies in Maluku islands. From the Kingdom of Tidore to the Kingdom of Ternate, the western part of New Guinea was a central place to build economic and cultural relations in East Indonesia.

Source: https://onwestpapua.com/west-papua-reign-moluccan-monarchies/

 

Trikora Operation, the Giant Military Aimed to Free West Papua from the Dutch

Dutch colony – pinterest.com

In respect to the negotiations undertaken by Indonesia and Dutch in 1945-1949, West Papua (then West Irian Jaya) should be handed to Indonesia as late as 1950. Even according to the principle of uti possidetis juris, West Papua should automatically become a region under Indonesian administration. However, the Dutch did not act according to the principle or negotiation which had taken place.

Even after the Dutch-Indonesia Round Table Conference in 1949, in which the Kingdom of Netherland (Dutch) agreed with the independence of Indonesia, they still retained sovereignty over West Papua. The promise of declaring West Papua as a part of Indonesia at least a year after the Round Table Conference never became a reality.

Indonesia’s government saw that the Dutch had no intention to keep the agreement they made in the Round Table Conference. In response, Indonesia withdrew from the Netherland-Indonesia Union. This also marked the moment when the young nation realized that the diplomacy did not work effectively, therefore: they continued the fight to annex West Papua through military force.

People’s Triple Command

Trikora – wordpress.com

Since the negotiation with the Kingdom of Netherland about West Papua did not show any positive sign, Indonesia decided to use the military to invade their administration in the region. On December 19, 1961, Sukarno as the president of Indonesia at the time declared Trikora, an abbreviation for Tri Komando Rakyat (People’s Triple Command), in Yogyakarta.

The content of Trikora, as the name suggests, consisted of three commands. Firstly, Trikora aimed to prevent the Dutch from forming a puppet State of West Papua. This command was a response to the Dutch’s effort to establish a puppet country in West Papua instead of handing the administration to Indonesia.

Secondly, Trikora asked people to fly the red and white flag (Indonesia’s national flag) in West Papua. It was a symbolic action to show that West Papua was under Indonesia’s sovereignty. Thirdly, Trikora commanded people to get ready for mass mobilization as an attempt to defend Indonesia’s independence and unity.

To implement these commands, President Sukarno formed the Mandala Command. Led by Commander Soeharto (who later became the next president of the country), Mandala Command was in charge of strategic planning, preparation, and implementation of the military operation in West Papua.

Giant Military Operation in West Papua

Papua – ibiblio.org

During Trikora, Indonesia had a good bilateral relation with Uni Soviet, which made the country got the support from the then one of the greatest nations in the world. The diplomacy behind this cooperation was undertaken in December 1960 when General A. H. Nasution visited Moscow to buy military logistics. The diplomacy went well and Indonesia could get ammunition worth of US$ 2.5 billion—paid in a long term.

Using the war logistics from Uni Soviet, Indonesia got massive advanced naval and air forces, including the largest warship with giant cannons called KRI Irian. In term of size and strength, KRI Irian was proportional to the United States’ best warships such as USS Wisconsin, USS Missouri, and USS Iowa. With such power, Indonesia was considered as the strongest military in the southern hemisphere at the time.

Indonesian military also prepared for airports which were ruined by the war—many of them were located on the border of Maluku and West Papua. In 1961, at least 14 military airports near the border were ready for mass mobilization against the Dutch troops in West Papua. However, the attack did not take place right away since the strategies used by Indonesia’s military forces were divided into three stages as explained below.

1. Infiltration—in which more than 10 companies of the military forces infiltrated the strategic area in West Papua and built strong military bases with the help of West Papuans. Within eight months in 1962, Indonesia had successfully insert 562 soldiers by sea and 1154 by air drops to West Papua.
2. Exploitation—was an open attack on the Dutch military bases which had been infiltrated beforehand so that the area had not only Indonesian troops but also military logistics. The biggest attack was called Jayawijaya Operation—it was the biggest amphibious operation in the history of Indonesian Navy. The operation involved 100 warships and 16,000 marines.
3. Consolidation—was the process to enforce Indonesian law in West Papua to show that the region had officially become part of the country.

The giant military operation had made the Dutch recognized Indonesians’ determination to annex West Papua. The Dutch was also pressurized by the U.S. which advised for peaceful conflict resolution instead of continuing military fight against Indonesia. As a response, the Dutch was willing to sign the New York Agreement on August 15, 1962, so that the Jayawijaya Operation was called off.

The New York Agreement was an important point in changing the status of West Papua from the Dutch’s colony to be a part of Indonesia. The whole Trikora Operation had played a big role in making it happen since after the agreement, the West Papuans decided to join Indonesia.

Source: https://onwestpapua.com/trikora-operation-giant-military-aimed-free-west-papua-dutch/

 

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/

Meet Melanesia: Not a Country, but a Culture Area

Melanesians – jimmynelson.com

Originally came from the Greek word: Melano (Black) and Nesos (Islands), Melanesia was identified around 200 years ago by European explorers. In 1756, Charles de Brosses made a theory about black race people living in the Pacific area. Then in 1825, Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent and Jules Dumont d’Urville identified them as Melanesians. Melanesian refers to the native inhabitants of Melanesia region, and widely characterized by dark skin color and curly hair.

Many have mistaken Melanesia and thought of it as a country or race. But anthropologists choose to use the term ‘culture area’ to define Melanesia. A culture area refers to a geographical region where people share multiple similar traits such as rules and myths, and many more. As for Melanesia region, it includes Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. Melanesians also migrated locally to some smaller neighboring islands such as East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku Island, or to Australia.

Though the concept of Melanesia was determined around the 18th century, researchers reveal that Melanesian existed about 50,000 to 30,000 years ago. According to Jonathan Friedlaender from Temple University, the first man who got to Australia and New Guinea and the islands nearby were some of the very early humans to get out of Africa. “This is about 40,000 years ago when Neanderthals still occupied Europe,” said Jonathan.

Then, the arrival of the Mongoloid race around 4,300 years ago led to acculturation process. There was an interaction between the Mongoloid race and Melanesian. The interaction appeared as a cultural harmonization, as well as biological through intermarriage. On the development, the Mongoloids inhabited the western part of Indonesia, while the Melanesians gradually settled in eastern Indonesia. That’s why the term “Melanesia” may be unfamiliar for some Indonesian people in Sumatra, Java, Borneo, or Bali.

The fact is, Indonesia has always been a large home for Melanesians. There are 11 million Melanesian throughout the nation; they are living in Papua, West Papua, Maluku Island (Moluccas), South Moluccas, and East Nusa Tenggara. Melanesians in Indonesia have significant roles and contribution in the history of the colonial era. Numbers of national heroes and heroines are Melanesian, including Johannes Latuharhary, Martha Christina Tiahahu, Thomas Matulessy or Pattimura, Frans Seda, Johannes Leimena, Frans Kaisiepo, and many more.

Let’s get to know Melanesians in Indonesia, especially in Papua, by learning about some of their cultures:

Myths and Musical Tradition

Melanesians – inquisitr.com

Melanesians share historical information through stories. One of the stories told in the Sepik River region of Papua is about a crocodile who split in two: his upper jaw became the heavens, and his lower jaw is the earth. Another origin myth is about a pair of brothers (humans) that sprang from the mud and responsible for populating the Earth.

Talk about musical traditions, there are numbers of them within Melanesia. A drum is the most common musical instruments for Melanesian. It usually has hourglass-shaped, single-headed, medium size and hand-held. Another important part of ritual life is dance. Both men and women dance; however, in many societies there are separate men’s and women’s dances.

Language and Religion

Melanesians – jimmynelson.com

There are thousands of languages and even more dialects spoken throughout Melanesia. Some of these languages have as few as fifty speakers, while others have a few hundred thousand. Many of these languages have never been documented or described.

Fiji has three official languages: English, Bau Fijian, and Hindustani. As for in New Caledonia, the official language is French. There are more than 70 languages in the Solomon Islands, while in Vanuatu there are 3 official languages—English, France, and Baslama—along with over one hundred local languages. The island of New Guinea even has more than 700 languages in addition to three official languages.

Regarding religion, most Melanesian people belong to a Christian church. However, some pre-Christian traditional indigenous practices are still applied by many groups. Some of them still believe in a variety of spirits—which inhabit in the forests, caves, swamps, or mountains. Even when Melanesians saw the first Europeans in the highlands of Papua, they thought of it as the ghosts of their dead ancestors.

Relationship and Marriage

Melanesians – peoplesworld.org

In some parts of Melanesia, male-female relationships were contradictory. Women are responsible for physical needs, while Men ensured the metaphysical survival of the society. Women are the food producers and caregivers to children. While men would traditionally spend most of their time in a large house to planned matters of ceremonial importance.

Marriage itself is a negotiation process between families. There are amounts of brideprice to be paid by the prospective-groom. A negative impact of the practice of brideprice in Melanesian society occurs in several cases where domestic violence is viewed as legitimate spousal discipline; as reported by Bradley C. and Kesno J. in their article Family and sexual violence in PNG: An integrated long-term strategy.

Education and Employment

Melanesians – moet.gov.vu

Schools are part of urban life for Melanesians and have reached some remote areas. However, the education primarily focuses on traditional ways of life and society values; not the formal European-style education.

Consisting of 12 million people, Melanesia practices various ways of making a living. In Vanuatu, the economy is based on a small-scale agriculture; along with fishing, financial services, and tourism. Farming and fishing are also the main economic activity in the Solomon Island. New Caledonia received substantial financial support from France, in addition to the tourism sector. Fiji has a more developed economy, due to forest, mineral, and fish resources. While Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources but the rate of exploitation is somewhat high.

Source: https://onwestpapua.com/meet-melanesia-not-country-culture-area/