Papua and West Papua provinces contribute to the beautiful diversities in Indonesia, and Amungme Tribe is one of them. The people generally settle on the southern side of the Papuan mountain range marking the southern boundary of the highlands. On the indigenous lands of Amungme are Tembagapura City and the Grasberg mining area enriched with the world’s highest gold production and the world’s third-largest copper production. Here is some information you can dig into about the people and culture of Amungme, Papua.
The Origins
The oral history mentions that there are several versions of the origins of the Amungme Tribe. The first version said that their ancestors emerged from the ground of a cave. The mouth of the cave, Mepingama, was close to an old tree near Wamena, the Baliem Valley. Humans appeared from it handed with varieties of plant seeds, like taro, banana, and red fruit, as well as tools, like stone axe and fire maker all for survival.
The next version was about their ancestors living in a cave in the influenced area of Menaga Nemungki. He got angry when the dweller of the cave sneaked a peek into the lights to see the life outside through the roots of an ancient tree. Birds and snakes attempted to find a way for humans, but Menaga Nemungki always got them caught. Finally, dogs secretly dug a hole for making an escape way for humans. That’s why people of Amungme don’t eat their meat.
The last version noted that a long time ago, an old woman handed a small stick to her daughter. The girl was believed to be sin-free. Using the stick, she was able to open the door of a cave and guided people to leave it and walk towards the west. They ended their walk at the Baliem Valley, then continued to Kwiyawagi, a plateau between Tiom and Ilaga. They split into three groups on the way.
The first group took a rest and set a huge bonfire. Then, the next group approached and asked for fire, firewood and food since they felt cold and hungry, but unfortunately, the first group didn’t give them any food. Hence, the second group left and went south, north, and east; this was the origins of several ethnic groups in the Papua mountains. In this version, the word “Amungme” means the first people sitting by the bonfire or the people who made the bonfire.
The People
The people of Amungme are about 17,700, and they live on the plateau in Papua Province. These people are also called Amui, Hamung, Amungm, Amuy, Damal or Uhunduni. They believe in animism. They have no idea about “dewa” (god) separated from nature, where the spirits and nature are one and the same. They practice moving farming as completion to their occupation through hunting and brewing. The people are connected to the holy land of their ancestors and make the mountains surrounding sacred, too.
On a daily basis, the Amungme speak the Dhamal language (or “Dhamal-kal”) as the main language for those living and settling in the north. Meanwhile, the Amungme people living in the south use the main language called “Amung-kal”. In addition, these people are also known to use a symbolic language that is quite hard to learn, namely Aro-a-kal and Tebo-a-kal. The language of tebo-a-kal symbols will only be used in sacred areas.
Arts of Amungme
Like Asmat Tribe, Amungme Tribe also contributes many cultural elements that become the characteristics of exotic Papuan culture. In the tribe, the ancient song “Angaye-angaye, no emki un-taye” is popular. Furthermore, the tribe also shares one of Papua’s iconic traditional musical instruments, namely tifa.
People of Amungme rely on nature for fulfilling their daily necessities by hunting. As a result, in fine arts, they create various kinds of tools for hunting activities. One of them is the “noken“, a bag made of woven plant roots or rattan.
Besides “noken” as their tangible art, they also have one of the most well-known cultures in Amungme, namely the tradition or ceremony of Bakar Batu (or stone burning). The Bakar Batu ceremony is a developed tradition, and it has become one of the prominent traditions in the community. The ceremony is generally functioned to welcome happiness upon birth and to gather soldiers for war and a sign of gratitude and death. During the process, the stones will be piled up and burned and then a pig first shot by the chief will be placed on the stone. The sacrificed pig must be shot to death as a sign of the success of the Bakar Batu tradition.
The Amungme Gold Coffee
The Gold Coffee of Amungme glimpsed by the world’s major coffee shops is made of a unique variety of Arabica coffee specially cultivated in the highlands of Papua, precisely at 1,400–2,000 meters high on Mount Nemangkawi for approximately 40 years. In 1998, the people of Amungme recognized this coffee seed for the first time. The distinctive coffee is grown in four valleys inhabited by the Amungme communities, namely Hoeya, Tsinga, Waa/Banti, and Aroanop, due to organic coffee cultivation.
Those are several highlights about Amungme Tribe in Papua. Like West Papua, Papua Province also contributes a lot to Indonesian cultures. Happy digging more to explore!
