Fakfak is one of many famous provinces in West Papua, Indonesia. This area is connected directly to Bintuni Bay to the north, on the south side of Arafura Sea and Kaimana Regency, Seram Sea and Berau Bay to the west, and Kaimana Regency by the west-east. Fakfak District is one of the main nutmeg producers in West Papua, responsible for more than 80% of total nutmeg production in the province. The Sosoraweru Cave itself is located in the Old Village of Forir, 300 meters away from Kampung Forir. It holds a special history of ancient people for being spiritually connected to their ancestors through artifacts, features, and ecofacts found on the site.
Who Austronesian People and How They Get to Indonesian Archipelago
Austronesians is a shared group of languages consists of 351 million people, making them one of the largest language families in the world with over 1,000 languages widely dispersed throughout the Island of Southeast Asia and The Pacific Ocean. There is evidence proofing that Austronesians have developed advanced ocean voyaging skills, many of which are the findings of migration routes that require extensive voyaging, including returning trips between islands that are out of sight of over the horizon.
The Mythology of Kapitan: A Giant Who Turned Into Stone
There is a famous legendary story about Sosoraweru Cave arising from the traces of Megalithic Traditions associated with figures who in the past recognized as one of the important elders of Kampung Forir. There has been a Myth going around the Kampung Forir long ago; Sosoraweru Cave is a hiding spot and home to a half-giant half-human named Kapitan. It is known that Kapitan’s father was murdered, and since that day, he used the cave as hiding and determined to avenge his death with help from his friends. However, all had turned down his plan too many times because they refused to wage war. In the end, Kapitan died in the cave alone with a broken heart by his inability to take revenge with a bitter heart and turned into stone. Today, the Mythology of Kapitan is still considered as ancestral heritage that passed from their ancestors to many generations in the future. Kapitan told us an important lesson not to hold a grudge against everything we can’t control because it’s poison for our hearts.
The Austronesian’s Cultural Imprint in Kampung Forir Site
Papua was a busy crossing path for Austronesian from 3,500 years ago. The Austronesian’s Cultural Imprint in West Papua can be tracked down in many ways, including earthenware and ceramics with a red pattern; hand paintings at the ceiling of Sosoraweru Cave; and the usage of lime betel (Kapur Sirih) made from clamshells. Nowadays, you can see the beauty of Gua Sosoraweru with a speedboat or longboat for not more than one hour then continued on feet less than 200 meters. From the excavation of Sosoraweru Cave, it’s found that sunlight from outside the cave cannot illuminate entirely. Meaning this cave is not suitable for housing needs, but it’s more probable that it was used for spiritual needs since lime betel was used for religious rituals in “Kunyah Pinang” tradition. Nowadays, Kunyah Pinang contains a deep root of philosophy teaching to be humble, always giving, and to appreciate people.
The Austronesian’s Cultural Imprint in West Papua has left many researchers speechless because of how vast Austronesian’s can travel throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Indonesia is proud to witness its journey to disseminate cultural, social, and voyaging technology in Asia.
