Slug:/history-of-west-papua
Only A Few People Know Exactly The Pre-Colonial History Of West Papua. Here, We Will Learn About How The Region Was Freed From The Dutch Grip.
There is much information surrounding West Papua on the internet. The topic varies from the economy, geography, and abundant natural resources. It is also frequently nicknamed the eastern part of Indonesia.
Being the eastern part of Indonesia, the region is part of Papua island. The island is divided into two regions: West Papua and Papua. The stories regarding how the region became part of Indonesia started when the colonial era ended. But, only a few people knew exactly the region’s pre-colonial history.
Here, we will learn more about it during pre-colonial, colonial, and modern eras.
Pre-Colonial Era
Papuans are said to have the least in common with the rest of the Indonesians. They take lots of similarities with the neighboring country. That’s because, after the Dutch era, the Indonesian government took over all regions that the Dutch government used to be colonized. But, the story of how the Papuans inhabited the regions remained a mystery.
Before the colonial era, the habitation of the region is estimated to have started around 42,000 to 48,000 years ago. Research indicates that the Papuans used the highlands as the center of agriculture. It is also said that Papuans have cultivated bananas for at least 7,000 years.
About 3,000 years ago, Austronesian people migrated to the region through Maritime Southeast Asia. Most of them settled near Cendrawasih Bay. Due to geographical isolation, those people developed cultures and languages. There are more than 300 languages and hundreds of additional dialects.
During the reign of kingdoms, West Papua was found to be under the governance of ruling kingdoms. Some included the Sriwijaya empire, the Majapahit kingdom, Bacan Sultanate, Tidore Sultanate, and Ternate Sultanate.
Colonial Era
In 1511, Portuguese sailor Antonio d’Arbau came to the region and called it “Os Papuas”. A sailor from Spain, Don Jorge de Menetes, also visited Papua around 1526-1527. On May 16, 1545, under the command of San Juan de Letran, a Spanish maritime explorer left Tidore to reach the northern coast of New Guinea. Starting from 1545 to 1606, Spain took possession of the land.
In 1606, an expedition consisting of three ships from Holland stopped at the southwestern coast of Papua. The Dutch took over Tidore Sultanate’s sovereignty over the region. Due to the increasing power of the Dutch in the region, the Spanish left in 1663.
Although it had made the Spanish leave and take over the Tidore Sultanate’s sovereignty over Papua, the Dutch did not seriously consider taking control of West Papua. It was the British that threatened the colonizer in governing the area. As a preventive measure, they established posts along the coast, and on the birthday of King William I of the Netherlands, the Dutch claimed the whole regions of Papua we know today.
Approximately 30 years later, the war and conflict over the regions started. The events involved local kingdoms’ disputes and German and Great Britain’s recognition of the Dutch claims.
Modern Era
Following Indonesian independence in 1945, the country claimed all Dutch territories in Indonesia, including West Papua. In 1946, local figures established PKII in Serui to prepare for a revolutionary war against the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the Dutch formed the Papuan Council as a counter.
During the formation of the United States of Indonesia in the 1947 Milano Conference, local Dutch politicians were against the inclusion of Papua in the states. Meanwhile, local Papuans insisted on including the regions as part of Indonesia nowadays. The conference was continued to the 1949 Round-Table Conference. Meanwhile, the region’s inclusion status was postponed.
The slow progress of the region negotiation frustrated Sukarno, who then decided to nationalize about 246 Dutch companies in 1957. By 1961, the Netherlands formed Nieuw Guinea Raad, which intended to exclude Papua from Indonesia. It led to Indonesia’s military incursion, which was unsuccessful, but Papua and West Papua’s inclusion in Indonesia were agreed upon through the New York Agreement.
Those are the ups and downs in the history of the eastern regions of Indonesia.
