When it comes to a tourist destination, many people tend to look for something more exciting and amazing. Thus, they tend to overlook archeological and historical landmarks. One of them is the Tapurarang site in West Papua. It is a place that holds historical wealth through the prehistoric cliffs painting.
What You Find In The Area
1. Prehistoric Painting
One of the best attractions or probably the primary focus on the area is the prehistoric painting. The cliff is filled with prehistoric hands and footprints clad in red. One thing that makes it unique is the location. The cave is in the cliffside area. It was hardly accessible, but many tourists can witness the place by boat.
The paintings are ranging from simple hands and footprints to some uniquely painted objects such as animals and plants. According to ksmTour, the unique ancient painting technique is very durable. Not only that, but the scenic painting also tells how prehistoric life was and their daily activities are.
The historic place takes many artists and historians to wonder how it was made. It appears like spray paint with a blood-red color. However, many visitors of west Papua states that the paint material might use natural coloring. Some of the paintings also appear in yellow. Both colors are the primary hues in it, which are somehow long-lasting even till now.
2. A Sacred Place For Indigenous People
As the reddish color resemble blood, many local say that a cliff is a sacred place. There are also stories and beliefs that the red hand painting was painted with blood. Thus, locals consider it a sacred site where dead people and Satan live. There are also some specific places in the cliff where human bones skeletons are found.
Again, locals believe that those people are the ancestor of Kokas society. Another thing that makes it sacred is the good and long-lasting painting remains. After more than hundreds of years ago, the vibrant picture still appears very clear. Some paintings of surrounding livelihood also tell the ancient story and historical value of the prehistoric West Papua people.
3. The Local Myth of Ghost and spirit
For you who are thrilled to learn some unique stories from the local inhabitants, you will find a cool story of Tapurarang. Along with the sacred reference by locals, there is also a story of a manifestation of condemned people. The local myth mostly appears due to the jarring red color on the handprint painting. They believe it was the hand-stamped blood of people.
The story goes with the belief in ghosts and demons. People who stamped their hands on the cliff are those who are condemned by a ghost. But, they might also be the elderly woman that turns into a demon Kaborbor. Kabobor is an ancient entity known as the local oceans’ ruler. And the unknown ghost is believed to be the most frightening being in the past.
The myth also expands on the local story that explains the origins of Kabobor. It said that the elderly woman was a single victim on a destroyed ship. The passenger did not help the women, and the west Papua condemned spirit will take revenge as a frightening spirit. The handprints are the people cursed by the women, and the painting resembles the loot on the boat.
4. The exotic mangrove forest and marine life
Another epic point that you can find around the area is the mangrove forest. The naturally intact tree is part of the cliff and sea surrounding the area. A forest is also a place of natural marine habitat. Not only on the sea level, but the land area nearby the cliff also has many locations such as giant trees, cliffs, caves, cape, and many more.
The Location
The historical site is in the district of Kokas, which is one of the areas filled with prehistoric heritage. Some other places are located in Andamanta, Fior, Darembang, Goras, Forir, and many more. To reach the location, tourists will have to go through a long harsh trip. It takes around 2 hours or about 50 km from the FakFak terminal. And the road is underdeveloped.
After reaching Kokas, you will need to go to Tapurarang. The long trip consists of 1-hour long boat travel. However, the west Papua historical site is also limited to visit since it is located on the cliff. You can only see it up close if the seawater tide is high. But if the tide is low you can only see it from the longboat.
Not many people are aware of the historic site. Since the access is pretty harsh and far from developed, many tourists divert their attention to the more famous areas such as Raja Ampat. The place is also a home of natural habitats. Tons of birds, plants, and views that will amaze tourists from its natural states.
