Urbanisation and deforestation threaten indigenous noken weaving

Photos in article

https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/04/04/urbanisation-and-deforestation-threaten-indigenous-noken-weaving/

Te Ao Māori News

Urbanisation and deforestation threaten indigenous noken weaving

                                                The string is also woven into traditional clothing. Photo: Supplied.

Urbanisation and environmental destruction threaten the Indigenous noken-weaving practices in South Papua Province, Indonesia, home to what’s been called the world’s largest deforestation project.

Noken/Men: Bags of the Muyu Tribe of South West Papua exhibition at the University of Auckland is part of Veronika Kanem’s PhD submission.

The research focuses on her father’s tribe, the Muyu people and their string bags. She analyses the mobility of the people, their gift-giving story and the environmental destruction that is happening in her homeland.

Noken is a traditional string bag made of various natural fibres of trees and plants, and the Muyu people they call it men and they are made from the genemo tree (Gnetum gnemon).

“Noken is a very embedded in our life as part of our identity because we wear noken from the birth to the death,” Kanem said. 

“The exhibition is also a way to give something back to my community.”

Kanem said these bags contain the social and cultural values of the Muyu people.

Men hold machetes and axes for gardening, are given as gifts, used in cultural ceremonies, bridewealth payment and child initiation into adulthood. 

They are also woven as gifts to give their husbands to show love and affection. Or gifted to strengthen relationships with extended family. Decorated men are given to significant guests (religious or government leaders) to show respect.

Noken symbolise a woman’s womb or a source of life as it is used to carry babies, piglets,and and garden harvests. 

Women weave the bags in between their domestic tasks of cleaning, gardening, and pig farming. Some weave while taking care of the children and while selling their garden produce at the market. 

“My message is for the Noken women in West Papua,” she said, “I want them to keep weaving their Nokens, keep weaving their knowledge because by doing the weaving we’re also defending our land, our forests.”

Massive deforestation project threatens the indigenous weaving practice

Last year Te Ao Māori News spoke to Rosa Moiwend of the Marind-Anim tribe in Merauke whose land is being targeted with 1.6 million hectares of indigenous forests to be destroyed and replaced with rice fields and sugar cane plantations. 

This is part of Indonesia’s National Strategic Project to help Indonesian self-sufficiency in food and energy. The project is managed by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Agriculture. 

“The Marind tribe are in great danger because of this,” Kanem said.

“If you destroy the forests, you destroy our identity.”

The movement from villages to cities risks loss of tradition across generations

The mobility of the Muyu people from rural villages to urban Merauke threatens the continuation of their traditional men’s weaving practices.

According to Kanem, urbanization is driven by the search for educational and employment opportunities. However, The distance between Maropko and Merauke is 524 km, which takes about 13 hours by car, and even longer during the rainy season.

Once they’ve moved, Muyu women can struggle to access genemo fibres needed to make men’s woven garments. They often have to wait for people to travel the long distance from the villages to sell the fibres at the market. 

To sustain the cultural practice of men’s weaving, urban women must spend significant amounts of money to purchase the inner fibres. While many urban women no longer practice the art form, those who can are encouraged to teach and pass on the knowledge to younger generations to ensure the skills are not lost.

Māori may resonate with the impacts of urbanisation in loss of cultural practices and disconnection from land - in the 20th century within 50 years they went from 83% rural to 83% urban.

Noken recognised as UNESCO heritage, still at risk of being lost

On December 4th, 2012, in Paris, the Noken was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

UNESCO, established in 1945, adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003.

The aim of the text was to preserve cultural diversity and protect and promote elements essential to the cultural identity of communities.

Intangible cultural heritage includes not only monuments and collections of objects, but also the knowledge and skills required to produce traditional crafts, such as the Noken. 

It also encompasses performing arts, festivals, social practices, rituals, and knowledge related to nature and the universe.

Despite this the Papuan Noken is still a threatened cultural practice due to massive deforestation happening in West Papua.

The exhibition is running until July 3 at the University of Auckland’s General Library.

---------------------------- 

1) Traditional West Papua craft on display in Auckland

2) Police Clearance Required for Foreign Journalists, YLBHI Cites Press Law Violation  

-----------------------------------

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/557048/traditional-west-papua-craft-on-display-in-auckland

1) Traditional West Papua craft on display in Auckland 

18 minutes ago  

Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer

@SanaSuisuikiRNZ susana.suisuiki@rnz.co.nz 

Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor 

Veronika Kanem, far right, with her West Papua students from Palmerston North. Photo: Lagi Maama Academy & Consultancy

A PhD candidate from West Papua has launched an exhibition at the University of Auckland based on her research into 'noken', or finely woven string bags.

Veronika Kanem has spent the past four years researching the traditional craft, particularly within the Muyu Tribe of Southern West Papua.

The noken bag is often used in cultural ceremonies, bridewealth payment, or a child's initiation into adulthood.

The bags are painstakingly created from various natural fibres of plants and tree bark.

Kanem told Pacific Waves people should not view it as a knick-knack as it represents identity and carries cultural significance for the people of West Papua.

"This is how I just try to spread awareness and also let people know that noken is not just a souvenir," she said.

"It connects us to our land, to our forest, where the materials are gathered from our forest.

"The noken [are] usually [used] as a gift to strengthen and maintain our relationship with our family, with friends, with trading partners, or also establish a new connection to new people or visitors.”

West Papua students from Palmerston North. Photo: Lagi Maama Academy & Consultancy

Kanem said the feedback on her exhibition has been really positive.

"People are so excited and so impressed with the work.

"It is not me, but this is my community, the Muyu tribe, from my father's side. I'm so proud to introduce this work.

"It is not only my PhD thesis, actually, but this is my people's works, especially the women, and this is also part of like - I reciprocate what they have given to me, their knowledge, their time. So this is actually for my community."

Kanem is concerned at the Indonesian government's proposed deforestation project, saying it is a "threat" to her community.

Last year the Indonesian government proposed its plan to establish 2 millon hectares of sugarcane plantations in the Merauke district in the southern area of Papua.

She said if the deforestation project goes ahead, her people's traditions will cease to exist.

"There are a lot of government projects and emissiaries that want to take over our land and our forest, which will threaten our noken weaving, because the material for making these bags, it is from the forest.”

————————————————

https://en.tempo.co/read/1992863/police-clearance-required-for-foreign-journalists-ylbhi-cites-press-law-violation

2) Police Clearance Required for Foreign Journalists, YLBHI Cites Press Law Violation  

Reporter Eka Yudha Saputra April 2, 2025 | 05:15 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Chairperson of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Muhammad Isnur, has criticized a new Indonesian Police Regulation that mandates oversight of foreign journalists and researchers covering events within the country.

The regulation, National Police Regulation No. 3 of 2025 concerning Functional Supervision of the Police towards Foreigners, was issued by the Chief of the Indonesian Police, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and signed on March 10, 2025.

Article 5, paragraph (1), point b of the regulation stipulates that the police will conduct administrative supervision by issuing a police clearance to foreign nationals engaged in journalistic activities and research in designated locations. “This goes against several existing laws, such as the Press Law and the Immigration Law,” Isnur told Tempo on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.

Isnur argued that the regulation creates an overlap with the authority of the Ministry of Immigration and Civil Registration. He explained that since the supervision of foreign citizens typically falls under immigration jurisdiction, this new regulation will generate administrative complications.

Furthermore, Isnur asserted that the regulation contradicts existing legal frameworks and has the potential to lead to violations. He also warned that it could trigger international backlash concerning human rights. He emphasized that the regulation risks limiting access to information for the international community and treating foreign journalists as potential threats.

“I think this will place Indonesia in a worse light in the eyes of the democracy,” Isnur stated.

Tempo has attempted to obtain confirmation from the Head of the Public Relations Division of the Indonesian National Police, Inspector General Sandi Nugroho, and Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas via WhatsApp. However, as of the time of this report, neither has responded to these inquiries.

The regulation was enacted in Jakarta on the same date by the Director General of Legislation of the Ministry of Law.

The controversial articles include Articles 4 and 5. Article 4 outlines the functional supervision of the police towards foreigners, encompassing both administrative and operational supervision. Article 5, paragraph (1), specifies that the administrative supervision includes requesting information from those providing accommodation to foreigners regarding the foreigners' data. 

Additionally, it authorizes the police to issue police clearances to foreign nationals conducting journalistic activities and research in specific locations. These specific locations, as mentioned in paragraph (1), are to be determined in accordance with the provisions of existing legislation. 

Editor's Choice: YLBHI: TNI Law Brings 'A Darker Indonesia' Closer

-------------------------------

Seeking a peaceful co-existence in Indonesia’s restive Papua

 https://www.ucanews.com/news/seeking-a-peaceful-co-existence-in-indonesias-restive-papua/108334

Seeking a peaceful co-existence in Indonesia’s restive Papua

Govt’s response to the recent killing of a female teacher is crucial to breaking the cycle of violence

 By Justin Wejak Published: March 31, 2025 12:27 PM GMT

A tragic incident occurred in the Papua region of Indonesia when a devoted female Catholic teacher was reportedly killed on March 21. The Indonesian government swiftly blamed the pro-independence group, the National Liberation Army of the Free Papua Organization (TPN-OPM), for the attack.

The teacher who was killed was named Rosalia Rerek Sogen. Originally from the predominantly Catholic Island of Flores, she had dedicated her life to educating children in a remote village in Papua

The woman was killed due to suspicions of her being linked to the Indonesian military. Her death has sparked outrage and sorrow, highlighting the dangers faced by educators working in conflict zones.

Authorities have vowed to bring those responsible to justice while her community mourns the loss of a cherished mentor and advocate for education.

The killing has cast a shadow over education in the region, increasing fears among both educators and students. Many teachers, especially those from outside Papua, may now feel unsafe working in remote areas where separatist violence is prevalent.

This could result in teacher shortages in conflict-affected communities, further denying students access to quality education. In certain situations, schools in high-risk areas may have to close or relocate, disrupting the learning process for children who are already experiencing educational disadvantages.

The loss of a committed educator also signifies a considerable setback for initiatives to enhance literacy and development in Papua, where access to education remains challenging.

Some teachers might reconsider their assignments or seek transfers to safer locations, which could result in an unequal distribution of educational resources throughout Papua. The government has pledged to improve school security, but excessive militarization could foster an atmosphere of fear instead of safety.

Two immediate questions emerge in this context: What motivated the attack? How ought Indonesia respond to ensure justice for the victims and forestall similar incidents in the future?

Politically motivated attack

Reportedly, the attack was driven by deep-rooted political motivations related to the long-standing conflict between Papuan separatists and the Indonesian state. Separatist groups view civil servants, including teachers, as agents and informants for the Indonesian government and military. This perception resulted in the assault aimed at diminishing Indonesia’s influence in the region.

This attack not only reflects the long struggle for independence but also aims to draw international attention to the cause of Papuan separatists by escalating violence, as well as offering a pretext for the Indonesian military to carry out assaults against the Papuan separatists.

It would be naïve to regard the killing as merely an isolated act of violence. Instead, it serves as a politically charged statement against Jakarta in Papua or, conversely, a statement against Papua in Jakarta and the wider Indonesia. This incident highlights the ongoing tensions and grievances, including the marginalization of Indigenous Papuans, the exploitation of natural resources, and human rights violations.

By targeting an educator, the perpetrators sought to challenge Indonesia’s presence in the region and hinder efforts to integrate Papuans into the national framework through education and public services.

Unfortunately, in this instance, a female educator fell victim to the conflict, highlighting the perils faced by civilians trapped between insurgents and state security forces. The attack emphasises the urgent need for dialogue, conflict resolution, and improved protection for educators who are essential to the region’s future.

To ensure long-term protection for educators, authorities must engage in meaningful dialogue with local communities, address the root causes of conflict, and implement policies that safeguard both education and human rights in the region. This indicates that capturing the perpetrators in the short term is simply insufficient; a sustained approach of dialogueand negotiation is required.

Dialogue is the answer

In response to the assault by Papuan separatists, local authorities and the Indonesian government have vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Security forces have intensified their efforts to track down those responsible, deploying additional police and military personnel to the area where the attack occurred.

The Indonesian government has often adopted a security-based approach to managing separatist violence, frequently conducting military operations to suppress insurgent groups. In this instance, authorities are not only focused on apprehending the attackers but also on ensuring the safety of other teachers and civil servants working in high-risk areas by increasing security presence around schools and government facilities.

However, such measures have sometimes led to further escalations of violence, prompting concerns about potential human rights violations.

In addition to immediate security measures, the Indonesian government is exploring long-term solutions to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Officials have stressed the need to strengthen Papua’s education and economic development programs to address the underlying grievances that drive separatist sentiment.

Some efforts involve boosting funding for local infrastructure, enhancing access to public services, and fostering dialogue with Indigenous Papuan communities.

Additionally, there have been calls for enhanced protection for educators, such as stationing security personnel near schools and providing teachers with emergency communication systems.

However, human rights groups argue that heavy military responses may not be the most effective solution and advocate for a more inclusive approach that prioritises addressing local concerns through dialogue and sustainable development.

The way Indonesia responds to the attack is crucial to breaking the cycle of violence and addressing the root causes of the conflict. Resorting to military crackdowns or retaliatory actions may only fuel further unrest and deepen resentment among Papuan communities.

Instead, the Indonesian government should genuinely engage in dialogue with local leaders, educators, and civil society to address persistent grievances such as marginalization, economic inequality, and political representation.

Enhancing education and development initiatives while ensuring civilian protection can help foster trust and stability in the region.

A well-calibrated political approach prioritising peacebuilding, justice, and reconciliation will not only honor the memory of the fallen teacher but also establish a foundation for long-term solutions that avert further loss of innocent lives.

Can both parties — the Indonesian government and Papuan separatists — find the courage and humility to engage in roundtable negotiations for a peaceful future of coexistence?

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.

------------------------------------

1) CSI defends indigenous peoples of West Papua at UN

2) Churchmen seek dialogue in Indonesia's restive Papua region

------------------------------

https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/52047

1) CSI defends indigenous peoples of West Papua at UN 

Mar 30th, 2025

Source: Christian Solidarity International

The indigenous peoples of West Papua face renewed threats to their land rights, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) warned at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 28.

In an oral statement delivered during the 58th Session, CSI's Abigail McDougal recalled that since assuming office last fall, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had announced a revival of the government's transmigration program to settle non-indigenous people in the province of West Papua. In addition, he had authorized the creation of two million hectares of new rice and sugar plantations, and a 50 percent increase in production capacity at the region's Tangguh liquid natural gas facility.

"These projects threaten not only the third largest rainforest in the world and one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, but also the land that the indigenous peoples of West Papua call home," CSI's Deputy Director of Public Policy and Communications stated. According to Amnesty International, the resulting environmental degradation would pose an "existential threat to the people of West Papua."

The planned projects would entail an increased military presence in West Papua, which has been subjected to military occupation for decades. This "is particularly concerning," McDougal said, "as Indonesia's parliament last week amended the country's military law, removing checks on the military's power."

West Papua is the easternmost region of modern-day Indonesia. While Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, the indigenous peoples of West Papua are almost completely Christian.

West Papua was made a colony of the Netherlands in 1898, and was administered separately from Dutch-ruled Indonesia. It was only handed over to Indonesia in 1962, thirteen years after Indonesia became independent. This decision provoked widespread protests and an independence movement that continues until today.

With more than 79,000 West Papuans already internally displaced by military operations, protecting Papuans' land ownership is an urgent imperative, McDougal said.

The UN's 2021 Durban Declaration and Program of Action on combating racism calls on states "to ensure that indigenous peoples are able to retain ownership of their lands and of those natural resources to which they are entitled under domestic law," she recalled.

"Christian Solidarity International calls on the government of Indonesia to halt its transmigration program in West Papua, protect indigenous land rights, and allow international rights monitors to enter the region," McDougal concluded.

The Indonesian delegation responded to CSI's statement during the general debate, stating that they "reject the allegation that the Indonesian people in the six provinces of Papua are subjected to…discrimination" and pledging to "continue dialogue with all stakeholders, including with the local communities, to ensure their voices are heard."

Reacting to the Indonesian delegation's reply, CSI's Director for Public Advocacy, Joel Veldkamp, said, "There could not be a greater contrast between the Indonesian government's assurances at the Human Rights Council, and what we hear from our friends in West Papua - that Indonesian government-led projects cause them to fear for the very survival of their people."

"We reiterate our call to the government of Indonesia to halt its destructive campaigns in West Papua."

LINKS

CSI oral statement: www.csi-schweiz.ch/app/uploads/sites/13/2025/03/CSI-Oral-Statement-UNHRC-58-Item-9.pdf

Transmigration plan: www.csi-int.org/news/west-papuan-churches-fear-revival-of-indonesian-resettlement-plan/

---------------

https://www.ucanews.com/news/churchmen-seek-dialogue-in-indonesias-restive-papua-region/108318

2) Churchmen seek dialogue in Indonesia's restive Papua region

Call follows rebel attack in which a schoolteacher was killed, seven other people seriously injured

By UCA News reporter Published: March 31, 2025 04:05 AM GMT

Catholic Church leaders have called for dialogue to bring an end to deadly violence in Indonesia’s conflict-torn Christian-majority Papua region.

“The Church emphasizes the importance of peaceful dialogue between Jakarta and Papua to end a cycle of violence that brings only suffering,” said Bishop Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You of Jayapura, the provincial capital and Papua's largest city.

The prelate’s March 28 statement came in response to the killing of Rosalia Rerek Sogen, a 30-year-old teacher from East Flores, in a rebel attack in Anggruk district, in Yahukimo Regency on March 21.

Another seven people were critically injured in the attack by the National Liberation Army of the Free Papua Organization (TPN-OPM), police and media reports say.

The rebels also reportedly burned down a local school building where Sogen was a teacher

It was the latest in a string of violent incidents in Papua in recent months

TPNPB-OPM spokesman Sebby Sambom later called on all teachers and health workers to immediately leave the area, which he said was an armed conflict zone that would see further attacks.

Bishop You said that this serious “violation of human rights” was strongly condemned.

“The Church calls for collaboration between the government, customary leaders, and religious communities for a solution that is humane and rooted in love, justice, and peace,” he said.

He said the conflict in Papua has dragged on for more than six decades and caused “mass displacements.”

“Many civilians have been forced to flee their homes in several regencies in Papua, such as Nduga, Intan Jaya, and Yahukimo, in search of safer areas,” the prelate said.

“These displacements often occur under extremely challenging conditions, with limited access to food, clean water, and health care,” he added.

Bernardus Bowitwos Baru, the bishop-elect of Timika diocese and a rights campaigner, said this case was one of many humanitarian issues in Papua, “which requires immediate action to stop it.”

“The shooting of the teacher is just the latest. However, do not forget that many other civilians have been victims of pro-independence groups or Indonesian security forces,” he told UCA News.

“It’s unfortunate that there is no attempt to sit together to stop this humanitarian crisis,” he said.

“For us, there is no other way but to have a dialogue involving all,” he added.

The violence is Papua has dragged on for decades since the end of Dutch colonial rule in 1962 and Indonesia’s annexation of the region the following year through what many Papuans call “a sham referendum.”

Fighting between rebel groups and Indonesian security forces have left about 500,000 people dead, thousands more injured and tens of thousands displaced, according to rights groups.

In the past decade, at least 300 civilians have been killed in Papua, media reports say.

Rights group Amnesty International said security forces and rebels were responsible for the killing of 236 civilians between January 2018 and June last year.

More than 85 percent of Papua's 4.3 million people are Christians, according to official records. Of them, about 70 percent are Protestant and just over 15 percent are Catholic.

------------------