South Papua

South Papua

Papua Selatan

South Papua, officially the South Papua Province (Indonesian: Provinsi Papua Selatan), is an Indonesian province located in the southern portion of Papua, following the borders of the Papuan customary region of Anim Ha. Formally established on 11 November 2022 and including the four most southern regencies that were previously part of the province of Papua and before 11 December 2002 had comprised a larger Merauke Regency, it covers a land area of 129,715.02 km2.

It shares land borders with the separate nation of Papua New Guinea to the east, as well as the Indonesian provinces of Highland Papua and Central Papua to the north and northwest, respectively. South Papua also faces the Arafura Sea in the west and south, which is a maritime border with Australia. Merauke is the economic centre of South Papua, while its administrative centre is the town of Salor located in Kurik District of Merauke Regency, around 60 km northwest of Merauke town.
Geography

Geographically, most of the South Papua region is located in lowland area which are dominated by two ecoregions or geographical areas that include an ecosystem and biodiversity within it. These ecoregions are Southern New Guinea freshwater swamp forests and Southern New Guinea lowland rain forests. These two ecoregions are crossed by large rivers originated from New Guinea Highlands which is the highest mountainous area in Indonesia.

In South Papua, many sago trees are found, which are a staple food for local tribes. Sago thrives in lowland environments and exhibits robust growth even in areas prone to flooding, including swamps, coastal regions, peatlands, and along riverbanks.

Additionally, there is a smaller but unique ecoregion called Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands which are part of Wasur National Park, a Ramsar wetland of international importance. This ecoregion consists of swamp forest, coastal forest, and vast savanna that are flooded at various times, creating a wetland area with massive biodiversity like agile wallaby, mound-building termites or musamus, and the bird of paradise. This wetland also attracts migratory bird for example magpie goose from Australia, also known locally as Boha Wasur.


Demographics

South Papua is inhabited by local Papuan people from various ethnic group. South Papua are part of customary region of Anim Ha, a distinct region with unique culture compared to other parts of Papua owing to its geography located in lowland area with vast amount of wetland and large rivers.

Some of the ethnic group living here including Marind people (with subgroups such as Kimaam) and Yei people in Merauke, Muyu and Wambon people in Boven Digoel, Awyu and Wiyagar people from Mappi, and Asmat people from Asmat. There are also isolated ethnic group found in the border near Highland Papua province like Kombai and Korowai people. Each of the ethnic groups mentioned have unique language.

According to Ministry of Home Affairs, the percentage of religion in South Papua in 2023 is 72.57% Christianity (49.62% Catholic and 22.95% Protestant), 27.28% Islamic, 0.11% Hindu, and 0.04% Buddhist.

Papua Selatan - South Papua

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Culture

The native Papuan people have a distinct culture and traditions that cannot be found in other parts of Indonesia. Coastal Papuans are usually more willing to accept modern influence into their daily lives, which in turn diminishes their original culture and traditions. Meanwhile, most inland Papuans still preserve their original culture and traditions, although their way of life over the past century is tied to the encroachment of modernity and globalization. Each Papuan tribe usually practices its traditions and culture, which may differ greatly from one tribe to another.

Hunting as practiced by Marind people usually begins with a traditionally controlled burn of peat bog and swamps, it was then left for three days to a week for new shoots to grow, which will invite game animals such as deer, pigs, saham (Notamacropus agilis). The hunting party consists of usually of 7-8 people, then go to the burned locations while bringing food and drink, ranging from tubers, sago, to drinking water, for several days. A temporary hut called bivak would be constructed from barks from Bus, a type of eucalyptus tree to form the walls and the roof made from Lontar leaves.

Asmat people are famous internationally for their wood carving. Some of its carving can be found in various museum for example in Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress. Asmat carvings have various motifs such as nature, living creatures, and everyday life. The Asmat people consider that carvings are not only works of art but part of their religious rituals to connect with their ancestors.

Asmat carvings are made from local materials such as Merbau and nutmeg wood. One of the famous Asmat carvings is the Bisj Pole which measures more than 3 meters. This pillar consists of figures arranged in tiers. This figure represents the spirits of ancestors killed by their enemies. The top of the pole is decorated like wings.

Due to the swampy terrain and extensive river networks in South Papua, numerous tribes rely on boats for their daily transportation needs. These traditional vessels, known as perahu lesung, are crafted by hollowing out the center of a single tree trunk and are often embellished with intricate carvings. Typically, these boats are propelled by multiple individuals standing upright and rowing. In ancient times, the Asmat people utilized these boats not only for transportation but also as integral elements of their headhunting customs, which instilled fear in neighboring communities. Historically, Asmat residents would navigate their boats to distant villages, where they would carry out raids and massacres on the inhabitants.
Architecture

The Korowai people from the Mappi Regency in southern Papua are one of the indigenous tribes in Papua that still adhere to the traditions of their ancestors, one of which is to build houses on top of tall trees called Rumah Tinggi (lit. ‘high house’). Some of the Korowai people’s tree houses can even reach a height of 50 m above the ground.

The Korowai people build houses on top of trees to avoid wild animals and evil spirits. The Korowai people still believe in the myth of Laleo, a cruel demon who often attacks suddenly. Laleo is depicted as an undead that roams at night. According to the Korowai people, the higher the house, the safer it will be from Laleo’s attacks.

The rumah tinggi is built on big and sturdy trees as the foundation for its foundation. The tops of the trees are then deforested and used as houses. All materials come from nature, logs and boards are used for the roof and floor, while the walls are made of sago bark and wide leaves. The building process for a rumah tinggi usually takes seven days and the structure then lasts up to three years.


Cuisine

The staple food of South Papua, in general, is sago, but some tribes also have other staple foods; for example, bananas, ubi (Dioscorea alata), keladi (Colocasia esculenta), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), and sukun (Artocarpus incisa and Artocarpus camansi). Sago is either processed as a pancake or sago congee called papeda, usually eaten with yellow soup made from tuna, red snapper or other fishes spiced with turmeric, lime, and other spices. On some coasts and lowlands in Papua, sago is the main ingredient in all the foods. Sagu bakar, sagu lempeng, and sagu bola, have become dishes that are well known to all of Papua, especially in the custom folk culinary tradition of Mappi, Asmat, and Mimika.

Common Papuan snacks are usually made out of sago. Kue bagea (also called sago cake) is a cake originating from Ternate in North Maluku, although it can also be found in Papua. It has a round shape and creamy color. Bagea has a hard consistency that can be softened in tea or water, to make it easier to chew. It is prepared using sago, a plant-based starch derived from the sago palm or sago cycad. Sagu Lempeng is a typical Papuan snack that is made in the form of processed sago in the form of plates. Sagu Lempeng is also a favorite for travelers. But it is very difficult to find places to eat because this bread is a family consumption and is usually eaten immediately after cooking. Making sago plates is as easy as making other breads.

Kabupaten & Kota

The province is administratively divided into 4 (four) regencies (kabupaten)
Wasur National Park

Wasur National Park is part of the largest wetland in Papua and is little disturbed by human activity. Its biodiversity has earned it the nickname “Papua’s Serengeti”. About 70% of the area consists of savanna, while other vegetation consists of swamp forests, monsoon forests, coastal forests, bamboo forests, grasslands and sago forests. The dominant plants include mangrove, triwulan, and melaleuca species and fauna such as wallabies and birds of paradise.

Wasur National Park is located in Merauke Regency. This area was designated as a national park by the Minister of Forestry in 1990 by combining the Rawa Biru Nature Reserve and the Wasur Wildlife Reserve which had been designated since 1978.