Category Archives: Culture & Art
Students Using Local Languange, Teachers Have Difficulties
In Elementary School of YPPK in Zanegi Village, almost of students speaking in local Marind language. They are not usual wit Bahasa Indonesia. Consequently, we are the teachers have diffiuclties to communicate and delivering our teaching materials. The Principal have an order that all of students should using Bahasa Indonesia during school hours but not so much took effect. However, we hope them gradually can use Bahasa Indonesia, so, will helpful for us in the process of teaching and learning.
- Clara Waliter, Teacher of Elementary School of YPPK, Zanegi Village, Animha District, Merauke.
Expansion of Palm-oil Estates
Local villagers in Alfasera now buzzy talking about new plan of expanding palm-oil plantation into their communal land and forest. According to local customary laws, the area is belongs to the people of Muting, Pahas, and Kolam. The issue is that part of them agreed and another part disagreed with the plan. Some villagers there told me that the number who have agreed is more than the disagreed one. I think, rather than disputing and fighting among ourselves, better we shoudl sitting and talking together soon.
- Pasifikus Anggojai, Bupul Villager.
Editor’s Note: the issue also mentioned by other 3 of our citizen reporters from different villages but still in the same area.
Posted in CITIZEN REPORTS, Culture & Art, Land & Environment, Livelihood
Tagged Bupul, Elikobel, Merauke
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Selling the Land, Selling Our Mother
I think that Customary Council in my village, Kampung Tanas, is good. Our elders are very supportive to defend our land since they themselves are the chiefs of the land. They are always tell us that our land is symbolized as our own mother. We are totally depend on the forest since we get our foods from the forest. If we sell the land, we sell our own mother.
- Otniel Diwalek, Tanas Village Officer for Social Welfare.
Posted in CITIZEN REPORTS, Culture & Art, Land & Environment
Tagged Elikobel, Merauke, Tanas
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Extinctive ‘Noken’
For us, the people of Wambon, noken (Papua’s traditional netting-bag waved from wood fibres –Ed) is a symbol of peace, fertility, and life itself. The noken have various useful functions in our daly life, for example, as backpack or headpack container, as ‘schoolbag’ for our children, even as a souvenir for other people. The noken have gradually difficult to find not because we are not need it anymore. The problem is less young people have skill to make it. Our young generation less attracted to learn how to wave the noken. Elders of Wambon, especially myself as the Chief of Wambon clan, now have more doubt about the future of one of their important cultural heritage.
- Yohanes Koroi, Chief of Wambon, Tambat Village.
Posted in CITIZEN REPORTS, Culture & Art, Education
Tagged Merauke, Tambat, Tanah Miring
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