Culture
Like the other provinces which form part of Indonesian Papua, the Papua Barat province is inhabited by different tribes.
The traditional house of people in this province is called Rumah Kaki Seribu (Thousand Legs House) because it is a stilt house with many pillars which is the reason for its name. The roof was made of straw or sago leaves and wood as its pillars. The pillars are useful for protecting the inhabitants from enemies and the threat of people with evil intentions or black magic. Traditionally to warm the occupants, hot ember will be put below the house.
The traditional clothes in the West Papua region are named Serui. Not much different from traditional clothing in Papua, the form of clothing is almost the same for both men and women. They wear clothes and lower body coverings in the same shape. They also wear ornaments on the chest and head in the form of necklaces, bracelets, ornaments of birds of paradise on the other parts of the head. Equipment worn by men at weddings usually have the groom holding a shield such as an arrow or tombah to fulfill the Papuan custom.
Another West Papuan traditional clothing is called Ewer. This garment is purely made from natural ingredients, namely dried straw. With the progress and influence of modernization, these traditional clothes were then equipped with cloth for their superiors. The following is a picture of the traditional Ewer clothing typical of West Papuans. At present, natural materials such as straw or dry fiber are only used as skirts for women. The skirt is made by taking plant fibers and arranging them using a rope at the top. This skirt is made with two layers, the inner layer is knee-length, and the outer layer is shorter. To strengthen skirt ties, belts made of bark are used in such a way. Usually the carving motif is not complicated, namely the gingham with a geometric arrangement.
As West Papua consists of many tribes, there are many traditional dances from each tribe. However, a commonly shared dance among the Arfak tribes was what Ottow and Geissler, 19th century German missionaries in the area, called the Tumbu Tanah Dance (ground stomp dance). Previously, Hattam people called the dance Ibihim, Isim for the Moile people, Mugka for the Meyakh people, and Mayonhora for the Sough people.
The dance consists of two basic movements called bihim ifiri kai cut, which is hopping while stomping the ground, imitating cuscus and namdur, and yam, which is the interlocking of dancers arms at the elbows. Then the dancers will form three formations imitating snake, jey/srem: a long line; ikrop: a half circle; and nimot: a full circle. The dance will be accompanied by music and singing either diun (songs about praising ancestors), nihet duwei (situational songs depending on the purpose of the dance), or isiap (encouraging shouts by the dancers to be ready).
Yospan dance is another dance originating from West Papua, this dance is an amalgamation of two traditional dances, namely Yosim dances originating from Sarera Bay (Serui/Yapen, Waropen) and Pancar dances originating from Biak, Numfor, and Manokwari. The musical instruments used for Yosim are usually Cuku lele (ukulele) and guitars, which shows foreign influences as these were not instruments from Papua. Included was also local bass made from three strings, with the strings made from pandan leaves. As well as Kalabasa, a dried calabash, which was then filled with beads.
In Yosim dance, the women are dressed with weavings to cover the chest, and headress made from bird feathers. While the men are bare-chested and wearing the same headress. The dance movement are more energetic though simple. In Pancar dance, the music are from Tifa drums which is the universal instruments for coastal Papuans. The drum skin is usually made from soa-soa (lizards). The movements are more stiff following the Tifa beats.
Movements include Seka, this dance movement are usually from southern coast with famous version from Kaimana, Fakfak, and Timika. In Pacul Tiga, or Pancar Meneru the dancer swing forward three steps, and throw both arms and one leg to the left and right, which was then repeated for the other leg. Jef movements are influenced by rock and roll dance from 1969 to 1971, Gale-Gale movements are from Wondama Bay and Mor-Mambor islands. Pancar movements are performed by the dancers move in a circle. These movements was inspired by animals, and have four variations.
Suanggi dance is also another dance from the regions around Cendrawasih Bay on the northern coast of New Guinea. This dance is basically an exorcism ritual by a bereaved husband after his wife becomes the victim of possession by mythical creatures (angi-angi). Suanggi is an evil spirit that wanders the earth because it cannot find peace and will take possession of a woman. The dance is usually only performed when death victims are found, which prompts the tribal leaders to initiate the ritual before the tribe members start the dance.