As a region that is rich in tradition and culture, the land of Papua has rituals at almost every stage of life. From birth rituals, coming-of-age rituals, marriage rituals, and even to death rituals. One of these things that makes most people curious is probably the West Papua birth ritual.
Because basically, giving birth is one of the most important stages in life. Whether it is for the child, who has just been born into the world, and obviously to the parents, no wonder it became one of the most important rituals in Papua. So, Here are the birth rituals that exist on the western side of Papua Island!
The Ritual of Giving Noken to The Newborn Baby
Noken is one of the cultural heritage of the Melanesian race in the land of Papua. Its presence is very important for the community, including for the people from Baliem Valley in the Jayawijaya Regency. For the tribes in the Baliem Valley, noken has many uses. It includes gifts for newborn babies.
In the Baliem Valley, women must present noken for newborns. They even knitted the noken since the baby was still in their mother’s womb. The meaning is that a baby born innocently without clothes must be wrapped in a noken. It is used as a bed and to carry them during activities.
If a mother carries her baby around without a noken, then people will label her as a person who does not know customs.
The Umbilical Cord Cutting Ritual of Asmat Tribe
Not much different from other tribes in Indonesia, in the Asmat Tribe, there is also a ceremony to cut the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord cutting ritual of Asmat Tribe is usually held after a simple thanksgiving ceremony. Normally, the cutting tool is sembilu.
After that, the mother will breastfeed her child until 2 to 3 years. Generally, this ritual is not much different from birth rituals in other regions.
The Birth Ritual of The Dani Tribe
The women of Dani Tribe will give birth to their children in a place called ebe ae. Several women will assist her. After a few days, when the baby’s umbilical cord falls off, they will throw it into the river. It is the tradition of Dani Tribe during the birth of the baby.
Usually, at 2 to 3 years old, girls will start wearing a sale. It is the traditional clothes of Papua from the Dani Tribe. That outfit is a skirt made of straw. As for the boys, they will start wearing a koteka, a Papuan traditional cloth, starting at 6 to 7 years old.
The Birth Ritual of The Biak Tribe
Then, there is the Biak Tribe, who also have a unique ritual related to giving birth. When a woman is about to give birth, she must not be seen by others. Therefore, her family will exile her to a place where no one can see her. Usually, it is a small hut with a hole in the wall for food to go through.
When she manages to give birth safely, the ceremony will take place. Adult men and women will dance to the accompaniment of tifa and sing some songs. They will form two circles, with women in the inner circle and men in the outer circle.
Usually, the dances could last three days and three nights. The dancers can rest when they feel tired and then dance again. But, normally, they only do this ritual for the first child. Aside from that, there is also a shaving newborn baby hair tradition and a step on the earth tradition. So you need to know those are the Papua, South Papua, Central Papua, Mountains Papua, and the West Papua birth ritual.
