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Getting to Know the Tribes of Papua That You Need To Know

Papua is the name of an island at the eastern tip of Indonesia. West Irian used to be the name of Papua, where Irian stands for Join the Anti-Netherlands Republic of Indonesia. Here we will discuss about tribes of Papua.

Law no. 6 mandates the rebranding of Papua.21 of 2001, which dealt with Papua’s special autonomy. According to the physical characteristics of the Papuan tribes, the word “Papua” comes from the Malay language and means “curly hair.”

Tribes of Papua

The land of Papua is known for its cultural and natural diversity. Life of a tribe in Papua is still rich in traditions and customs for the Papuan people. The Tribes Found on Papua’s Island on Papua are dispersed throughout the island’s various regions. The Encyclopedia of Tribes in Indonesia 1 includes the following list tribes of Papua:

Amungme

Amungme are also known as Hamung or Amui. The area around the Jayawijaya Mountains is home to the Amungme people. This tribal community has approximately 3,500 people living there.

Amungme as tribes of Papua speak Uhunduni, which can be broken down into several dialects, including Amung, Damal, and Enggipilu, for everyday conversation. Amungme people live in groups and construct their homes using alang-alang or sago palm leaves and wooden poles. Five to ten households make up each group.

Amungme women’s traditional attire consisted of a skirt or loincloth made of bark fiber. In the meantime, the men dress in the koteka, a special suit made of dried pumpkin skin. Read also Interesting Papua that you need to know.

The Asmat

The second of tribes of Papua is  Asmat people mostly live in the south of Papua, near important rivers like the Aswets, Pomats, Undir, and Bets. Because it is so difficult to get to, the Asmat tribe is cut off from the rest of the world.The Asmat people get most of their food from wild sago trees and animals that are hunted for their protein, like wild boars, different kinds of birds, and different kinds of fish.

The Asmat people built their homes on the banks of the river because their territory is close to a large river.This is because its residents rely on the river for transportation. In an Asmat village, ye, je, and yeu are used to identify each house.The Asmat community lives in a house called ye and a house called je, where women and children live.

In the meantime, the Asmat community’s religious and social gatherings are held at Yeu’s house. This is due to the fact that the Asmat community gathers at the yeu house for discussions and celebrations pertaining to religious events. This is one of unique tribes of Papua.

Dani (Ndani)

The Dani people are indigenous to the interior of Papua, specifically in the central Jayawijaya Mountains’ highlands. The headwaters of major rivers, like the Memberamo, typically surround the settlements of these tribal communities.

Although no one knows for sure where this tribe came from, many people believe that the Dani people are evidence of an early wave of people migrating from mainland Asia thousands of years ago. This is one of tribes of Papua.

The Dani language has two dialects, the Great Valley Dani dialect (Dani Baliem) and the West Dani dialect (Lanny language), which are similar to the Melanesian and Western Pacific language families. The attire of the original Dani is minimal. Men only require dried water gourd skin to cover their genitalia. During this time, the woman only wears a skirt made of strands of grass fiber.

Here are explanation about tribes of Papua. This can be your new information. Hope this article is useful.