Indonesia has so many cultures and arts that is still maintained today and is spread throughout its territory. It consists of different uniqueness and exoticism that can spoil the eye.
One of them is Papuan culture with various traditions that still exist until today.
Kinds of Culture in Papua
In Papua, every tribe has a distinctive culture and customs. Every ceremony that is performed according to the Papuan tribe’s traditions has a significant significance.
Typically, each of these cultures represents all that has to do with nature. For detail information, read the explanations below!
1. Finger Cutting Tradition
In Papua, the Dani tribe still practices the finger-cutting tradition. In the Baliem Valley, there is a Dani tribe.
The tribe has practiced finger-cutting since the dawn of time, and it is still done now. This tradition represents peace, cohesion, and power that come from within a person or a family.
The Dani view severing fingers as a representation of the sorrow and suffering associated with a family member is passing.
This tradition Papuan culture of chopping fingers is also seen as a measure to stop the tragedy that took a grieving family member’s life from happening again.
2. Bakar Batu Tradition
Bakar Batu is a tradition that is crucial as a way for village residents to express gratitude and gathering.
The celebration typically occurs at the moment of a baby’s birth, a traditional wedding, the coronation of a tribe’s chief, and a gathering of soldiers for battle.
The reason the stone is actually burned until it gets hot is why it is known as the Bakar Batu tradition. The hot stone’s purpose is to cook vegetables, meats, and sweet potatoes on banana leaves for everyone attending the current event to eat.
3. Ararem Tradition (Biak Tribe)
Next there is a tradition called Ararem which is carried out by the people of the Biak tribe. This tradition usually appears when there will be an event such as a wedding.
Ararem itself is a procession carried out by the groom’s extended family which aims to deliver a dowry for the prospective bride.
The procession is carried out by walking from the groom’s residence to the bride’s residence.
At the procession, each family member will hold a dowry in the form of jars, traditional plates, and many others. While small children carry Indonesia’s flags to signify that this culture belongs to Indonesia.
4. Tanam Sasi Tradition
The Tanam Sasi is a tradition Papuan culture followed by people in eastern Indonesia, such as Maluku and Papua. Sasi is a practice widely used to safeguard natural resources.
The term “sasi” refers to a technique for processing natural resources in Papuan coastal settlements.
In order to preserve the quantity and quality of natural resources, Sasi is a conservation initiative that prevents obtaining the outcomes of using natural resources in their own right.
Sasi is used in an effort to maintain civility among people and the natural environment.
5. Tattoo Tradition
The next culture in Papua is tattoo tradition. The Moi tribe or Malamoi tribe, along with a number of other tribes in Papua, practice the tattoo tradition.
By creating a recognizable pattern tattoo on the body, getting a tattoo is a custom of self-decorating.
A Neolithic-era immigrant from Asia who works as an Austrenesian speaker and landed in the Sorong region introduced the distinctive motif on the tribal tattoo of the Moi people.
Fish bones or sago tree spines are dipped in a solution of fine charcoal and tree sap to create tattoos.
Those are the information and explanations about Papuan culture that exist until now. As human, we need to maintain and preserve the existing of culture and arts.
The goal is to develop the diversity that exists in Indonesia.
