Living and scattered in several areas of Kaimana and Bintuni Bay, the Irarutu tribe is one of the largest tribes in West Papua. The following is a discussion of where the Irarutu tribe lives in Papua province, the clans whose members of the Irarutu tribe use, and the taboos they should not violate.
Location of the Irarutu Tribe
According to history, at first, the Irarutu tribe lived in the same area. However, the Irarutu tribe disjunct into two based on where they live: the Irarutu tribe in Bintuni Bay and the Irarutu tribe in Kaimana.
The disunity of the Irarutu tribe happened because of an external war between tribes and an internal war between clans inside the Irarutu tribe.
The Irarutu tribe residing in the Kaimana area mostly lives in the Arguni district, which includes the Minggir, Aru, Warmenu, Warua, Mandiwa, and Urisa areas. Some also occupied the villages of Fiduma, Rauna, Sumun, Ukiara, Wanggita, Nagura, and Seraran.
As for the Irarutu tribe in Bintuni Bay, most of the tribal members live in the Babo district, which includes Irarutu III, Nusei, Kasira, Amutu, Modan, and Kanaisi. Apart from the Babo district, several tribal members also occupy the Aroba district, including Wame and Farfurwar.
Irarutu Traditional House
The traditional house of the Irarutu tribe is Sirus. Sirus is a longhouse with a roof made of dried sago leaves. The pillars are the foundation that supports this traditional house of the Irarutu tribe. In its function, Sirus has several uses. Namely, a place of learning, a place for spiritual events, and a place for a meeting.
Clans in the Irarutu Tribe
Just like other West Papua tribes, the Irarutu tribe also has a clan as a family identity. The Irarutu tribe in Bintuni Bay has about twenty clans, while the tribe in Kaimana has about a hundred clans.
Some of the Bintuni Bay Irarutu tribe clans are Alkatiri, Nafurbenan, Furier, Furima, Hiria, Furimbe, Irarutu, Fiawe, Manama, and Nauri. Meanwhile, several clans of the Irarutu tribe in Kaimana are Tumeka, Tefruam, Jawi, Waita, Tanggarofa, Taboka, Ufnia, Uro, Wamena, Werfete, Furu, and Kuyami.
Irarutu Tribe Taboos
The Irarutu tribe has a cultural heritage in the form of pamali beliefs or taboos. Here are some of the taboos of the Irarutu tribe:
- It is Forbidden to Break Mangrove Trees While Hunting for Crabs
The first taboo is breaking mangrove trees to make traps when hunting for crabs. This prohibition applies to women from the Irarutu tribe. Irarutu women are not allowed to break mangrove trunks to make gae-gae or crab traps.
Because of this taboo, the women of the Irarutu tribe always make gae-gae at home from other plants’ stems. Big waves or storms will confront you if you violate this prohibition while traveling home.
- Abstinence from Eating Crabs for Boys Under Seven Years Old
The second prohibition is for Irarutu boys under the age of seven. Irarutu boys under seven years old are not allowed to eat crabs.
Violation of this taboo causes disease in children who have eaten crab. Symptoms of the disease are high fever, the emergence of foam from the mouth, and the body becomes pale yellow. The Irarutu tribe believes that the foam that comes out of the mouth is the foam from the crab.
- Prohibition of Eating Geropa Fish for Pregnant Women
The third taboo is that pregnant women in the Irarutu tribe cannot eat Geropa fish. If there are pregnant women who violate this taboo, the child will be born with a disability and have a small body.
If the Irarutu tribe are born with disabilities because of this belief, then the only treatment they can do is soak the baby in Sorebaba water.
