West Papua has Noken as one of its cultural heritage that has been accepted by UNESCO in 2014. Regarding that fact, the process of producing Noken has improved time by time.
Furthermore, there is a unique phenomenon of Noken on the internet. To proclaim Noken as the cultural heritage of West Papua, Google made Doodle Noken that appeared on the main page of its search engine on December, 4th 2020.
That is why Noken has also become the fashion that follows the trend, and most people around the world have known this crocheted bag. Besides, this can be the opportunity to introduce the unique things from Papua Island.
Doodle Noken and Its Facts as Google Icon
The netizens might be surprised because the icon of Google displayed a thing from east Indonesia on December, 4th 2020. That thing is called Noken, which has many facts to be the icon for Google that day as below:
The Designer of Doodle Noken
Doodle Noken itself has been designed and illustrated by Danu Fitra, a talented artist from Depok. It aimed to proclaim that Noken is the prominent symbol for socio-economic aspects in Papua and West Papua.
Google aimed to represent the functions of Noken that can be used for daily activities in Papua. Furthermore, even Noken is made from wood, yet it is useful and fashionable to be used by people around this world.
The Philosophy of Noken
People in West Papua believe that Noken has cultural values inside. It is because Noken is not only a crocheted bag but also means their identity.
Noken becomes more special because it is the traditional bag made by Papua women (Mama) and has the meaning of fertility and peace for the people who live in east Indonesia, especially Papua.
Women who can make Noken properly can be known as mature women in Papua. Meanwhile, the women who cannot yet make that bag will still be seen as immature women.
The Use of Noken
People in Papua usually use this kind of bag to bring fruits, vegetables, and bulbs, or go to the market. On the other side, the inland people use Noken to carry babies, cattle, vegetables, bulbs, and clothes.
Moreover, the intellectual people in Papua use this traditional bag to save books or carry notebooks to campus. Meanwhile, for The Dani tribe, Noken can be used as the medium of exchange.
How to Make the Beautiful Noken
People in the east of Indonesia, especially Papua, believe that making Noken needs many concentrations and complex steps. People make this bag manually, which means they do not use the machine in all processes.
Before making Noken, people use woods that have been cultivated, dried, sorted, and chocked to become the yarn manually. Those steps are:
- To begin, cut down a branch, trunk, or bark of a tree or a certain shrub, heat it over a fire, and submerge it in water.
- Next, the residual wood fibers must be dried, spun into strong yarn or rope, and colored with natural colors if desired.
- The ropes are then hand-tied to create net bags in a variety of patterns and sizes.
- The manufacturing method necessitates a high level of hand skill, concentration, and creative taste, and it takes months to master.
People can still find Noken directly manufactured in the Sauwadarek district of West Papua. Noken is reasonably priced, ranging from IDR25,000 to IDR50,000 per piece, depending on the type and size.
West Papua is indeed one of the islands with many beautiful things inside, either its destination or its culture. Besides, West Papua today has become more popular because it has Noken as its cultural heritage.
Regarding that fact, people in the world may know Papua well. When people have known Papua well, it may allow them to visit Papua and explore many treasures there.
