Papuan Society Research Articles

The Dynamics of Law and Culture Interaction in Supporting Local Economic Growth: An Ethnographic Analysis of Indigenous Communities in Papua

The government has made efforts to realize prosperity for all Indonesian people, including indigenous Papuans. Local culture plays a key role in shaping consumer preferences, patterns of business behavior, and the use of economic resources, which are important in designing economic development strategies that match the values and needs of local communities. The purpose of this study is to determine and analyze the dynamics of legal and cultural interactions in supporting local economic growth in Papuan society. The research method uses a literature study method with a qualitative approach. The data collection technique involves searching, collecting, and reading various literature sources. Data were analyzed in three stages, namely data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results show that the interaction between law and culture is crucial in supporting local economic growth in indigenous Papuan communities, with cultural values, traditions and social norms playing an important role in shaping local economic practices. The complexity in the interaction between Papuan customary law and formal state law highlights the challenges and opportunities in achieving harmony between the two to advance local economic growth. This research has implications for the importance of integration between state law and Papuan customary law in efforts to promote sustainable local economic growth. Thus, the resulting policies can be more effective in accommodating local economic interests without overriding existing local wisdom, so as to achieve a balance between economic development and cultural preservation.

Ownership-attributing intuitions are cross-culturally shared.

This study tested intuitions about ownership in children of Dani people, an indigenous Papuan society (N = 79, Mage = 7, 49.4% females). The results show that similar to studies with children from Western societies, children infer ownership from (1) control of permission, (2) ownership of the territory the object is located in, and (3) manmade versus natural origins of the object. By contrast, they did not (4) infer ownership from the first observed possession of an object. Additionally, Papuan children showed (5) an absolute first possession heuristic, whereby they assigned ownership to a person who achieved a goal, in contrast to a person who was first to pursue this goal but failed to be the first to claim it.

Big man, bag or ballot box? Upholding legal pluralism through noken as a traditional system of voting in elections in Papua, Indonesia

Indonesia, a diverse and sprawling archipelago nation, is a place where modernity often intersects with tradition, especially in certain parts of the area broadly known to the outside world as Papua. This article analyzes how the Indonesian Constitutional Court has upheld legal pluralism through noken, a traditional voting model used in elections in remote, mountainous parts of Papua in easternmost Indonesia. Legal pluralism, defined as the coexistence of multiple legal systems or norms within a single society, is a concept deeply embedded in the Indonesian legal landscape. The noken system includes a method where tribal chiefs or community leaders vote on behalf of their entire local area, after consensus is reached in a community meeting, with the votes being placed in a traditional woven bag, called a noken. Although the noken system differs from the universal suffrage model applied by the Indonesian Election Law, its constitutionality is guaranteed under a landmark decision handed down by the Indonesian Constitutional Court in 2009. That decision reinforced the validity of legal pluralism in Indonesia, including in elections. However, the Constitutional Court subsequently limited the constitutionality of implementing the noken system as Papuan society gradually transitions to the national electoral system.

NOKEN LOCAL WISDOM AS REPRESENTATION OF GOD'S LOVE

<p><em>This study aims to describe, explore and analyze the local wisdom of noken as a symbol of Papuan culture which has a strong religious-spiritual meaning for the lives of the Papuan people. This study was compiled using a qualitative research design by relying on primary data obtained through interviews and observations of the daily life of women who make noken and use noken in Papuan society. The informants involved were religious leaders, community leaders and noken women. The findings of the study are that noken is Papuan life, as a vessel and source of life that contains religious-spiritual values. Noken is interpreted as a representation of God's love for Papua which fosters faith and hopes in the Creator. In addition, noken is seen as a second 'womb'. Children born are put in a noken as a container for growth and development until they are crawling. Furthermore, a special noken was made for children with the aim of practicing honesty. If a child takes food from someone else's noken, it means stealing. Stealing means sin according to custom and religion. Noken is not just known but has existed and is known from time to time, passed down and taught how important it is to live in Papuan noken human life. Thus noken is a representation of God's inclusion and maintenance of Papuan life. The ancestors of the Papuan people were explorers living on the island of Papua using the strategy of the regional language of the tribes in the land of Papua to teach noken, namely Ugatame. This means that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and humans who are similar to Him. The aim is for the Papuan people to have more faith in God Allah.</em></p>

Directive Speech Acts in Humorous ‘Mop’ Discourse in Papuan Society: A Pragmatic Studies

This study examines the analysis of the form and function of directive speech acts in the discourse of ‘Mop’ humor in Papuan society. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. The collection technique in this study used linguistic data collection instruments, namely listening techniques, note-taking techniques, and proficient free-involvement techniques. Data analysis in this study consisted of four stages, namely: (1) data collection, (2) data reduction, (3) data presentation, and (4) conclusions and verification. The results of this study indicate that in the discourse of 'Mop' humor in Papuan society there are eight forms and seventeen functions of directive speech acts, namely: (1) Asking has the function of asking, (2) Commanding has the function of commanding, commanding, demanding, instructing, and directing, (3) Ordering has the function of asking and inviting, (4) Recommending has the function of advising, (5) Advising has the function of advising, suggesting, and warning, (6) Permissives has the function of allowing, (7) Prohibitives has the function of prohibiting and limiting, and (8) Requesting has the function of asking and inviting. The most dominant directive speech act used in the discourse of ‘Mop’ humor in Papuan society is the form and function of asking. The existence of a question element in ‘Mop’ implies that communication between speakers and speech partners requires answers to unknown information.

Tas Tradisional “Noken” Solusi Mengatasi Limbah Kantong Plastik

This research tries to completely describe the Mayor of Jayapura's call about the draft regional ordinance on the usage of Noken as an alternative to plastic bags at Jayapura City shopping facilities. It is a qualitative study using the social phenomenology paradigm, involving passive participatory observation, interviews, and documentation. It employs Miles and Huberman's flowchart analysis tools. The Mayor's request for the use of Noken bags in shopping decreases the impact of using plastic bags, which are difficult to degrade with soil in a short period of time. The use of the Noken bag also introduces Papuan culture, which has a straightforward and straightforward philosophy. Rational action in the form of an appeal from the Mayor of Jayapura is looked for, in anticipating the problem of plastic trash that is difficult to degrade by soil and minimizing the accumulation of plastic garbage in rivers in the city of Jayapura, which results in annual flooding. The application of Noken, which sets aims and behaviors through norms, has a philosophical connotation that lies beneath Papuans' common understanding, namely simplicity and transparency. Noken establishes a positive relationship between symbolic arrangements in Papuan society, displaying the forms and patterns of life of the Papuan people, particularly in the city of Jayapura, which reflects the meaning of the simple Papuan people and their openness to others in preserving Papuan culture.

Herbal Theology and Its Application in Papuan Society

Herbal Theology and Its Application in Papuan Society

Existence and coexistence of the Muslim migrants: the ecopolitics roles in Papua

ABSTRACT This article explores Muslim migrants’ economic and political contributions to Jayapura, Papua, as well as the tensions that have emerged therein. Through observation, interviews, and a review of the literature, it investigates the influence of Muslim migrants on Papuan life, as well as Muslim migrants’ use of economic means to ensure their survival in the face of significant pressure. Although indigene – migrant relations have ebbed and flowed over time, Muslim migrants have not only influenced society through open communication and interactions with their peers, but also contributed to the social, economic, and political advancement of Papua. As such, this article recommends that future research should investigate how different elements of Papuan society recognize each other and work cooperatively and progressively towards achieving a better future.

West Papua: Indonesia’s last regional conflict

ABSTRACT This article explores three interrelated components of the independence movement in Papua – armed resistance, political struggle, and international lobbying. As an insurgency, the armed resistance in Papua is local, sporadic and does not threaten Indonesian control. Indonesia’s predominantly military response to both armed and peaceful resistance has given violence a greater significance in the Papua conflict than the capacity of the armed resistance groups would suggest. The significant Indonesian military deployment and the associated human rights abuses have provided ammunition for pro-independence international lobbying. Notwithstanding a highly constrained political environment, activists continue to demonstrate after nearly 6 decades of Indonesian rule the capacity to mobilise support for independence harnessing issues such as racism. The article examines the Government’s dilemma that the means it has chosen to sustain its authority – an overwhelming military superiority – is one of the factors that fuels Papuan support for independence. What form of governance is possible in democratic Indonesia, when a portion of Papuan society does not consent to Indonesian rule?

Response of People in Tanah Papua in Assessing Special Autonomy as a Challenge and Achievement

This article aims to analyze the response of the people in Tanah Papua regarding Special Autonomy. Special autonomy in Papua both in Papua Province and West Papua Province is part of the realization of the 1945 constitution and Pancasila. Whereas with equitable justice and the level of welfare of the people in Indonesia, it must become a shared responsibility, both from the central government to the regional governments. The problem was focused on the influence of Special Autonomy in the land of Papua which had an impact on conflict and its development towards improving the welfare of the people in Papua through the responses of the people in assessing this special autonomy. In order to approach this problem, the theory of implementation of public policy by Abdul Wahab Solichin was used. The data were collected through a literature method or approach and were analyzed qualitatively. This study concludes that with the response from the people in Tanah Papua, it will make this Special Autonomy better with autocritics from every element of Papuan society with an appropriate implementation pattern so that it has an impact on the level of prosperity and quality of the indigenous Papuan people.

Under the shadow of the state: Media framing of attacks on West Papuan students on Indonesian online media

The attack on the West Papua student dormitory in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, on 16 August 2019 by the Islamic Defender Fronts (FPI), Communication Forum for Retired Children of the Indonesian Military/Police (FKPPI) and Pancasila Youth (PP) sharpened Indonesia’s crisis with West Papua. The baldly racist attack then ignited repression, as well as demonstrations from West Papuans in various cities. In such a crisis, Indonesian online media does not provide proportional voices from West Papuan society. That adds to a record of how bad the practice of journalism related to West Papua so far appears to be. This study conducted a quantitative framing analysis, examining the number of reports, use of resource persons and the use of framing of crisis in the news, on six Indonesian online media: okezone.com, detik.com, kompas.com, tribunnews.com, cnnindonesia.com and tirto.id in the period of August 13-31, 2019. From the 2,471 news reports, it can be seen that most of the main news sources used by the media are from the government and the apparatus and police. West Papuan society received only scant coverage compared with the range of news of the attacks on West Papua student dormitories and their effects. The dominant crisis frames that appear in the news are the frame of attribution of responsibility and frame of conflict. The frame of human interest, frame of morality and frame of economic take the bottom three positions.

OPTIMALISASI PENJUALAN NOKEN KULIT KAYU MENGGUNAKAN METODE SIMPLEKS DAN SOFTWARE POM-QM

The indigenous people of Papua consist of various tribes and have several different tribes, one tribe which is a traditional Papuan society called Noken. Mr. Meki Murpa is one of the craftsmen and noken sellers located at F. Kalasuat street, Sorong City, West Papua. The problem issued by the noken seller Mr. Meki Murpa is to determine the optimal amount of production of noken sales, so that the maximum sales profit is obtained. This problem can be solved by using the Simplex Method which is one part of the Program. POM-QM software for Windows to be more efficient in the calculation process. The results of the application of this method are to help noki sellers of Mr. Meki Murpa in making decisions, determine the amount of production and calculate the profit of the sale of noken in a period of one week accurately.

ISLAM, LOCAL “STRONGMEN”, AND MULTI-TRACK DIPLOMACIES IN BUILDING RELIGIOUS HARMONY IN PAPUA

This paper comes with new perspectives in understanding the dynamics of Papuan society in relation to Islam and local “strongman”, especially in the frame of religious harmony. It enriches the research of how national political contestation affects the dynamics of religious harmony in Jayapura, Papua, through three important distinctions: first, socio-anthropological studies on how Islam and Muslim groups dynamics relate to the transformation of the society; second, the analysis of Islamic religious leaders’ roles in building religious harmony through local “strongman” perspective; third, the reframing of efforts in creating harmony in national, religious, and social life with multi-track diplomacies approach. This research with those three focuses results in a final lexicology: “building values/cultures does not mean tearing down entirely the existing ones; creating religious harmony does not need to eliminate teachings of any religions”. In other words, the process of assimilation, acculturation, and segregation at the most micro-level interactions, even individuals, has always to be recognized as an effort to create cultural amalgamation. In that way, local leaders of indigenous Papuans, bossism , and those who take refuge in cultural-structural organizations would never feel threatened with each other.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PIG FARMING SYSTEM IN THE BRUYADORI DISTRICT BIAK NUMFOR REGENCY

Bruyadori District Biak Numfor Regency is one of areas that supply pigs to several regions in Papua. One of the regions supplied is Nabire Regency. Pigs have a high economic value in Papuan society, because pigs can be used as savings, are very useful in customs events in Papua (paying fines, dowry) and demand for pork increases at ecclesiastical events (Christmas and Easter). This research is expected to provide an overview of the characteristics of pig farming systems in Bruyadori District, Biak Numfor District. The research method used is descriptive research method with case study techniques, the case in this study was farmers. There were 30 respondents who were taken to get data. Pig farmers in Bruyadori District are 100% Biak or Papuan indigenous tribes, and judging from their education background, it is still very low mostly only have elementary and junior high school diploma but the experience of breeding is very good, about 20 - 40 years, whereas the purpose of raising livestock as a side business, farmers have a main job as farmers and fishermen so the number of livestock ownership is still less than 1-5 pigs because the number of livestock is influenced by the number of litter size and farowing rate which is very low every year, about 1-5 pigs and the number of sow that is productive is only 1 sow. Farmers in the Bruyadori District provide feed still from the garden and household waste or food scraps from the kitchen. The maintenance system applied is an extensive and intensive maintenance system.Keywords: Bruyadori District, Biak Tribe, Pigs, Maintenance System

Territory, Class, and Kinship: A Case Study of an Indonesian Regional Election

This article examines electoral strategies used by candidates in regional elections in new Indonesian jurisdictions. It uses the 2017 regional election in Maybrat, West Papua as a case study. It explores the candidates’ strategies and motivations in context, as well as their results. Research indicates that similar election strategies were used by candidates, such as exploiting elements of territory, class, and kinship. However, their emphases differed: the losing candidate had positioned class solidarity centrally in their campaigns, while the victorious candidate had emphasized spatial solidarity. This research also observed the exploitation of latent tensions over the location of the regional capital in the new jurisdiction of Maybrat, where the creation of new resources, services, and public offices intensified long‐standing contestations. Ultimately, distancing themselves from electoral logics that target individual voters, the candidates in Maybrat targeted specific groups, a strategy representative of Papuan society’s communal tendencies.

CONTESTATION OF RELIGIOUS PUBLIC SPACE: CHRISTIANS VS MUSLIMS CASES IN PAPUA

The land of Papua has often been associated with the Papua Independence Movement (GPM), in addition to the Independent Papua Organization (OPM) which has been known since the 1990s. The battle between the civil society of Papua against the military seems to keep happening. Killing and shooting each other has always been a public discussion and media coverage. However, the thing that escapes people’s attention is a contestation that occured between the adherents of the religion of the indigenous Papuans who claim to adhere to Christianity, known as the ‘mountain people’, and the Muslims, known as the coastal and inland people who are regarded as non-natives of Papua. The contestation took place observably in public spaces like the streets, mountains, fields and various religious activities that involved mobs such as Kebaktian Kebangkitan Rohani (Spiritual Awakening Mass) among the Christians, as well as talbligh akbar (huge gathering) among the Muslims where they bring in speakers from outside Papua as an attraction. Such contestation has been going on since 1998 that sometimes triggered massive demonstrations and bans on religious activities as well as the establishment of a Muslim school. In the Papuan society, a lot of trouble is religious matters, coming both from the internal and external followers. To data were obtained through direct observations, in-depth interviews with a number of key informants, literature study and written documents related to the issue. The data were processed using interpretative approach as commonly used by Clifford and Geertz in the socio-anthropological tradition or social sciences in general.

Health and human security in West Papua

Recent publications have highlighted the impact of human rights violations, poverty and extraction of natural resources on the health status of the indigenous people of West Papua. However, the Australian medical literature has so far remained silent on this issue. Long-standing allegations of violence being perpetrated against Papuan civil society are supported by accounts given by West Papuan refugees involved in an Australian-based study. Health data collected by Médecins du Monde and other sources provide an insight into the poor health and lack of health care in the province, with high rates of infant mortality and morbidity, maternal mortality, and HIV/AIDS. Extraction of natural resources is causing major disruptions to the traditional livelihoods of indigenous Papuans, as a result of environmental degradation, mass displacement and an influx of migrant workers. Australian health professionals are urged to assist in remediating this dire situation, in keeping with our tradition of contributing to the health care of societies in our region.

On telling and retelling a story: New books shed light on culture contact 60 years ago

Leahy, Michael J. Explorations in Highland New Guinea 1930–1935. Foreword by Jane C. Goodale. Edited, with afterword, by Douglas E. Jones. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1991. xii + 254 pp. including photographs and index. $19.95 paper. Schieffelin, Edward L. and Robert Crittenden. With contributions by Bryant Allen and Stephen Frankel, Paul Sillitoe, and Lisette Josephides and Marc Schiltz. Like People You See in a Dream: First Contact in Six Papuan Societies. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1991. ix 4‐ 325 pp. including maps, photographs, appendices, and index. $12.95 paper.

Like People You See in a Dream: First Contact in Six Papuan Societies. Edward L. Schieffelin , Robert Crittenden

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsLike People You See in a Dream: First Contact in Six Papuan Societies. Edward L. Schieffelin , Robert Crittenden Terence E. HaysTerence E. Hays Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Anthropological Research Volume 49, Number 3Autumn, 1993 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/jar.49.3.3630499 Views: 3Total views on this site Copyright 1993 The University of New MexicoPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Entropy and convergence in Melanesian studies

Schieffelin, Edward L. and Robert Crittenden, eds. Like People You See in a Dream: First Contact in Six Papuan Societies. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1991. xix + 325 pp. including references and index. $39.50 cloth, $12.95 paper. Healey, Christopher. Maring Hunters and Traders: Production and Exchange in the Papua New Guinea Highlands. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. xxii + 401 pp. including notes, bibliography, and index. $45.00 cloth. Harrison, Simon. Stealing People's Names: History and Politics in a Sepik River Cosmology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. xv + 217 pp. including bibliography and index. $47.50 cloth.