Like West Papua, Papua Province also has numerous amazing indigenous tribes worth learning, and one of them is the Korowai Tribe. The tribe has recently been known, and the population is not as high as that in other tribes. They establish unique characteristics, from the traditional house to the daily food. Take a look at the details about the tribe below.
The Origins
Korowai Tribe has newly been recognized for 30 to 35 years. A long time ago, the tribe occupied an isolated area in Papua located approximately 150 km from the Arafura Sea without any communication. Dwelling in such an area, this tribe survived by hunting various kinds of animals in the forest.
In 1975, Johannes Veldhuizen led a team of missionaries from the Netherlands and found the tribe. Until 1978, they started to carry out evangelism in the area, and since then, they conducted exploration throughout all the lands of the tribe and even promoted it abroad. They even built a church, a school, and a clinic.
The missionaries were also the initiator of a documentary movie about the tribe and eventually made the Indonesian government realize the existence of the tribe. Just after the missionaries left the tribe in 1990, the people of Korowai began receiving government assistance and getting involved in forest projects initiated by foreign companies.
The People
The population of Korowai Tribe is approximately 3,000 people. Unlike people from other tribes in Papua, the people of the tribe do not wear “koteka” (man’s underwear). They generally survive by hunting in the forest on a daily basis. Until 1970, they did not know the whereabouts of anyone other than their group.
Since 1980, some people of Korowai had moved to the newly opened villages of Yaniruma by the Becking River (Kombai-Korowai area), Mu, and Basman (Korowai-Citak area). Then, more rural areas were opened in Maggél (1987), Yafufla (1988), Mabül on the banks of the Eilanden River (1989), and Khaiflambolüp (1998). The village absence rate is still high due to the relatively long distance between settlements and food resources.
In general, the language used by them is the Awyu-Dumut language which is part of the Trans-New Guinea phylum, grammar and dictionary produced by a Dutch missionary linguist. This language is also commonly used by numerous tribes in Southeast Papua.
The people normally hold celebrations, like sago party to welcome important events such as birth or wedding. During the feast, they slaughter pigs as a dish as well as a sign that there is an event worth celebrating.
Tree House: The Iconic Traditional House
The people of Korowai Tribe live in a house built on a tree called “rumah tinggi” (tall house) or “rumah pohon” (tree house), which can reach 10 to 50 meters high above the ground. That’s why they often receive the tree men as their nickname. They live there to protect themselves from wild animal attacks and the risk of flood.
The construction process of the tree house is handled with care. The people carefully plan it, starting from choosing materials until determining the floor and trees used as the main pillar. Generally, a large and sturdy tree is the best for being used as the main pillar of the house, while the walls are normally made of sago tree bark. The floor uses tree branches, while the roof is from leaves. In addition, the house is also completed with twisted rattan rope and is equipped with a ladder reaching down to the ground.
Unique Delicacy
The Korowai Tribe definitely depends on nature, and sago made from the sago tree is the staple food of the tribe. Unlike rice for Javanese people, in the tribe, this food substitutes rice for carbohydrates. They enjoy the porridge or the inside of the sago tree cooked at a high temperature, unlike papeda which is also made of sago. People of the tribe eat their sago wrapped in banana leaves and usually put side dishes, such as catfish caught in the river.
They fulfill their daily need by consuming sago, fishing on the river, and eating caterpillars from the sago trees. They eat both raw caterpillars and crunchy roasted ones, too.
The Rumor
A rumor circulating about the Korowai Tribe is that they are called cannibals, a bit scary indeed, but this also attracts the world’s attention to the tribe. However, upon further investigation, they did not eat human flesh for their daily needs. They only have a ritual of eating human flesh that violates their rules, like “khuakhua” or sorcerer. Therefore, it can be concluded that cannibalism is part of their customary law for those proven to have committed evil or forbidden acts. This ritual is now increasingly rare and has begun to be abandoned.
Thus, the information about the Korowai Tribe, Papua. Both West Papua and Papua Provinces indeed have more that is worth learning. Happy learning!
