The Kaimana region in West Papua not only saves extraordinary natural beauty. In addition to its beautiful scenery, Kaimana also has an exciting history of the kingdom. One of them is the history of the Namatota kingdom. Here is a brief history of the Namatota kingdom:
Get to Know Namatota Kingdom
The Namatota Kingdom, also known as the Kowiai kingdom, is located in Namatota Village, Bomberai Peninsula, Kaimana, West Papua. Namatota has an exciting meaning; Nama means blue water (sea), and tota means to search. Therefore, Namatota implies a place with blue water.
This kingdom has existed since the 16th century and still exists today. The people of the Namatota kingdom are the Koiway tribe, who, until now, also still inhabit the Namatota village. Many historical relics from the Namatota kingdom still exist in Namatota village.
Unlike other kingdoms in Indonesia, which have magnificent palaces, the Namatota Kingdom does not have any castles. However, the Namatota kingdom had a place called the King’s House (Rumah Raja).
Rumah Raja, a legacy of the Namatota kingdom, is no longer the King’s residence. Rumah Raja currently serves as a place to store trinkets or accessories from the Namatota kings.
Kings of the Namatota Kingdom
According to historical records, the first king of the Namatota kingdom was Ulan Tua. Just like other kingdoms in West Papua, in the past, the Namatota kingdom was also subject to the sultan of Tidore. Therefore, the appointment of the King of the Namatota kingdom was carried out by the Sultan of Tidore.
At the beginning of his reign, King Ulan Tua only covered the area of the island of Namatota and its surroundings. However, with the help of the Sultan of Tidore, Ulan Tua’s territory extended to Arguni bay and the southern coast.
To assist the King of Namatota in managing his vast territory, the Sultan of Tidore appointed several customary heads or Raja Komisi. In their duties, the customary heads or Raja Komisi from these various regions were subordinate to the Namatota king.
After King Ulan Tua’s death, the King of the Namatota kingdom’s position fell to Sifa. Sifa is the younger sister of King Ulan Tua. It is unclear how long Sifa was in power, but after Sifa died, the kingdom gave the position of King to Sifa’s son, Lamarora.
King Lamarora ruled the kingdom of Namatota for approximately one hundred years, from 1778 to 1884. Unfortunately, King Lamarora’s reign was neither strong nor weak. The weak government of King Lamarora was then used by the Raja Komisi Kaimana, named Naru, to rebel and take over some of the territories in Kaimana.
After King Lamarora died, the power of the Namatota kingdom then fell to Lamarora’s eldest son, Mooi. Unfortunately, the reign of King Mooi did not go well. Apart from being relatively young, the influence of the awful government system by his predecessor was also the reason.
The Current King of the Namatota Kingdom
The current King of the Namatota kingdom is Randi Asnawi Ombaier. King Randi Asnawi Ombaier has been the King of the Namatota kingdom from 2017 until today. In his duties, King Randi Asnawi Ombaier served as the leader of the customary government in the village of Namatota, while the village head was in charge of the administrative government.
On the 77th anniversary of Indonesia this year, King Randi Asnawi Ombaier held a flag hoisting under the sea. Together with the Namatota village government and the diving community, Sinara Kaimana, the King raised the Indonesian flag in the sea waters of Namatota.
Other than commemorating the 77th Indonesian Independence Day, the King of the Namatota kingdom also explained that this activity was part of promoting Namatota village as a tourist destination.
