On a hilltop accessible only by hours traversing dense jungle on foot, the influential Kimko Jinipjo clan in Indonesia’s Papua region gathered for a rare ceremony called “Awon Atatbon” earlier this month.
For these indigenous people in Ha Anim territory – the local name for South Papua Province – this “pig feast” ritual is more than a celebration of cultural identity.
It is also an assertion of their ancestral land rights and a form of resistance against government-backed agricultural projects, resource exploitation and the mounting threats of deforestation.
“At its heart, Awon Atatbon is a cultural revival aimed at safeguarding ancestral lands through traditional practices, including songs, dances, rituals, and ceremonial performances,” Vincent Korowa, a young member of the clan, told BenarNews.
The hilltop village of Kurinbin is situated in Waropko, a district of Boven Digoel regency. Up to 2.7 million hectares (6.67 million acres) of forest and peatland in Boven Digoel, Mappi and Merauke regencies are slated to be cleared for a controversial food estate project, according to government data.
A land of stunning biodiversity and immense natural wealth, Papua is also home to one of the world’s longest-running separatist conflictsbetween Indonesia and armed Papuan groups who want their own state.
International and Indonesian human rights groups say indigenous Papuans, a Melanesian people whose identity is closely tied to the land, face entrenched racism in Indonesia, economic marginalization and violence by security forces including extrajudicial killings.
In recent years, the Indonesian government has pushed controversial development initiatives, including the food estate program, which aims to convert vast tracts of forest, wetland and savannah into rice farms, sugarcane plantations and related infrastructure to bolster the country’s food security.
Critics of the food estate say these projects overlook indigenous land rights, accelerate deforestation, and threaten the way of life of Papua’s native communities.
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Food estate programs in other parts of the country have been unable to meet production targets. In Central Kalimantan, rice, the primary crop, has failed to achieve expected outputs.
“We know that our ancestral land is constantly under threat. In the past, it was other tribes. Now, it’s people who want to establish large plantations,” Wilem Wungim Kimko, the host of this year’s pig feast, told BenarNews.
“When our land is taken, our ancestors’ spirits are disturbed, and we all suffer,” said Wilem, who as host is known as the “Big Man.”
The Awon Atatbon is held every seven to 12 years or when a Kimko Jinipjo clan leader is ready to host the elaborate event.
After three years of preparation, the clan this year welcomed hundreds of participants from other areas and clans to their ancestral hilltop village.
At the heart of the ceremony were the pigs, which were hunted by specially selected archers.
The “Big Man” then offered the captured animals to attendees at fixed prices, ranging from U.S. $320 to $640.
Once purchased, the pigs were cooked communally, using a traditional method of stone baking, alongside sago and vegetables.
This practice ensures that wealth circulates within the community, strengthening social and economic bonds.
“The feast is also a trading activity between the host and other members of the indigenous community,” Ponsianus Tarayok Kimko, the eldest living member of the Kimko Jinipjo clan and the leader of this year’s event, told BenarNews.
A ritual called “Oktang,” which is also part of the ceremony involved testing the resilience of the Big Man’s stilt house by dancing on its roof through the night.
Inside the one-meter-high traditional structure, 26 participants performed a ceremonial dance that embodied both spiritual devotion and a reaffirmation of cultural unity.
The guests invited to Awon Atatbon traveled from various parts of the Ha Anim territory, with some journeying from nearby Papua New Guinea.
They walked for up to two days across steep terrain, as they crossed rivers and scaled ridges to attend the ceremony.
“I traveled with my family from Kiunga in Papua New Guinea,” Magdalena, one of the attendees, told BenarNews.
“It took us nearly two days on foot. We spent one night sleeping in the forest. We came because we were invited – and because we are family to the host.”
Rituals, dances, and songs reinforced community bonds and territorial claims.
During the event, the boundaries of clan land were reaffirmed through natural landmarks like rivers and soil lines, and prayers were offered to ancestors for protection and future prosperity.
Anthropologist Cypri Jehan Paju Dale, who studies Papua indigenous politics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, sees ceremonies like Awon Atatbon as part of a broader movement to defend land and identity.
“Local communities in West Papua are working tirelessly to protect their identity, land, and forests,” Dale told BenarNews, referring to the Papua region of Indonesia.
“They do this not only by engaging with advocacy groups but also by revitalizing their own cultural traditions and articulating them in new ways.”
While the pig feast is one such example, another is the Red Cross Movement. As part of the latter, indigenous Christian communities plant thousands of red-painted crosses to block the expansion of large-scale plantations and mining projects.
Since its inception in 2014, the Red Cross Movement has planted more than 1,400 crosses across southern Papua.
While the movement adopts Christian symbolism, it draws deeply from indigenous values, sending a message that the land and forests are not vacant but living spaces that must be preserved.
As the Indonesian government continues to push its development agenda, the Kimko Jinipjo and other clans in Papua face growing uncertainty.
This year’s Big Man, Wilem, like many in his community, lacks formal identification or citizenship documents. Though unaware of the specifics of the government’s plans, he is keenly aware of the risks posed by food estate developments.
For his clan, the forest provides not just sustenance but cultural identity and spiritual guidance.
“Our ancestors communicate with us through signs in nature,” Wilem said.
“When the animals in the forest begin to disappear, it’s nature’s way of telling us that the land they inhabit is under threat.”
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Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto is considering pardons for prisoners linked to armed organisations in the restive easternmost province of Papua, including separatists, providing they renounce violence and abandon secessionist agendas, a senior minister says.
Prabowo plans to grant amnesty to those convicted and awaiting trial if they pledge loyalty to the Indonesian state and "stop all activities aimed to separate Papua from Indonesia", senior minister for law and human rights affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, told Reuters.
The government is drawing up lists of individuals eligible, he said. Most armed criminal groups in Papua province are linked to separatist rebels.
"It's going to be a new hope for us in finding a solution in Papua," Yusril added.
A low-level battle for independence has been waged in the resource-rich island of Papua since it was brought under Indonesian control following a disputed referendum overseen by the United Nations in 1969 at the end of Dutch colonial rule.
Many Papuans have said the outcome did not truly reflect local sentiment. Indonesian security forces have since kept a tight rein on the region and have been accused of human rights rights abuses, which they deny.
Separatists have in recent years managed to acquire better weapons, taken in raids on army posts or sourced from the black market. They have also abducted foreigners, including a New Zealand pilot who was released last year after being held for 19 months.
Police last August said another New Zealander was killed by rebels when he landed a helicopter in a remote area.
Prabowo plans to pardon 44,000 prisoners including drug offenders and activists jailed in Papua for criticising the government.
The president has previously said that he might allow people who engaged in graft to go unpunished if they return what they stole. Indonesia is also considering parole for two former leaders of the militant network Jemaah Islamiah and amnesty for its jailed members.
LEADER of Opposition Matthew has strongly condemned the latest murders in West Papua by the Indonesian military.
Hon Wale’s call comes amidst recent media reports of Indonesian military unit that are roaming Intan Jaya Regency, slaughtering West Papuans at will.
The recent killings have also included minors.
“Solomon Islands as a Melanesian country must continue to stand against the ongoing atrocities in West Papua. We are Melanesians,” Hon Wale said.
In a statement today, Hon Wale said it is heartless to note that the Prime Minister and the GNUT government have opted to remain silent on these ongoing atrocities in West Papua.
The Opposition Leader also called on the rest of the MSG to condemn these recent murders and to demand withdrawal of military from the highlands; and to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.
“I am calling on the Prime Minister and the rest of MSG to call on the Indonesian government to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua. In fact this is inline with the resolution made by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) last year,” he said.
Hon Wale said it is time the MSG Leaders rethink their stand on West Papua.
“Diplomacy and geopolitics should never cloud our solidarity with our Melanesian people of West Papua,” Hon Wale said.
The Opposition Leader emphasized the ongoing human rights crisis in West Papua as a pressing regional issue that still remains unresolved.
He said the Prime Minister has visited Jakarta last year but sadly there was no discussion with Indonesia about the systemic repression of West Papuan lives and voices.
Hon Wale said the lack of dialogue on ongoing human rights violations with Indonesia would suggest that GNUT’s priorities are negotiable, or even expendable, for financial gain.
– Opposition Press
