In order to promote the potential of Kaimana which known as the City of Sunset, Tourism Office of Kaimana Regency held an annual agenda entitled Kaimana Sunset Festival on 20-23 November 2017.
Kaimana Sunset Festival has been held since 2012 by cooperating with the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia. In this event, the committee will involve 8 indigenous tribes in Kaimana, community and other tribe groups in Kaimana, West Papua. Like the previous event, the Kaimana Sunset Festival will start with a cultural parade involving indigenous tribes and ethnic groups in Kaimana District. Followed by an opening procession interspersed with a quick show of Exotica Kaimana, the cultural procession, art attraction, and review to exhibition stand/expo by ministry officials accompanied by Deliberation of Regional Leadership (Muspida).
Furthermore, ministry officials accompanied by Muspida visited a number of tourist sites, including; Hius Paus at Triton Bay, Mai-Mai site, Ermund, For De Bus Lobo Monument, Little Comodo at Triton Bay, visit Kaimana’s culinary, and others.
Quoted from Ministry of Tourism, as a festival opener, there will be a cultural parade of tribes in Kaimana. Then, the contests for the public both from local residents and from other regions will also enliven this annual event. With this festival, it is expected that Kaimana’s potential will be better known and able to entertain the Kaimana community and boost the local community’s economy because the community can sell the products of crafts and Kaimana culinary.
The Kaimana Sunset Festival is an annual event set by the local government in order to promote the potential of tourism and to introduce Kaimana indigenous culture to the public. At this festival, the community can showcase and sell the products of crafts, culinary and other products to Kaimana visitors. So that the existing products are expected to be known to foreign countries. One of them is Kaimana batik with its trademark.
Head of Tourism Office of Kaimana Regency, Marthen Fenetiruma said, in the annual event held since 2012, visitors will be entertained by new dance creations, traditional dance performances, traditional archery competition and traditional spearing contest. There are also cultural parades, art attractions, and crafts exhibitions.
At the Sunset Festival supported by the Ministry of Tourism, various batik motifs will be launched. Among others, the palm hands patterned batik, the Garuda birds combined custom house, jellyfish alloys, pig spines, sun, Tifa, and Manta that will be granted patent during the event. The motif of the palm of hands represents the eternal signature. The Garuda and traditional house motifs symbolize the mastery of nature and the motif of Tifa, jellyfish, pig spines, sun, and figure of 8 is the motif of brotherhood.
“This festival is indeed one of its goals to promote Kaimana batik. The goal is certainly to expand the market to foreign countries, “said Marthen Fenetiruma.
Keywords: Papua, West Papua, Kaimana, Sunset Festival, tourism, culture, cultural exhibition, Papuans, indigenous tribes
