Wednesday, October 31, 2018

With a feast of grubs, a tribe makes its case for forest stewardship


With a feast of grubs, a tribe makes its case for forest stewardship
by  on 30 October 2018

  • The indigenous Kombai tribe of Indonesia’s Papua region are seeking recognition of their right to manage their ancestral lands, in a bid to thwart the encroachment of oil palm plantations in the last great expanse of unspoiled wilderness in the country.
  • They face legal hurdles to their bid, including a lack of clarity over the status of previously defunct logging concessions on their land, and onerous requirements to prove to the authorities their ties to the land.
  • The administration of President Joko Widodo has pledged to issue customary forest titles to indigenous communities nationwide, but none of the tribes in Papua has received such recognition.
  • Activists say empowering indigenous communities to manage their own forests is a key step to fighting climate change, because these communities tend to be better stewards of the forest than their own governments.
BOVEN DIGOEL, Indonesia — It’s a hot and humid morning, and birds and insects are chirping deep in a lush rainforest in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua.
All of a sudden, the sounds are drowned out by tribal chanting and the thunder of dozens of people marching, echoing through the forest like a mild earthquake. Brandishing bows and arrows, they sing and dance their way toward the village of Uni in Boven Digoel district.
These men are guests from nearby villages, heading to a feast hosted by the indigenous Kombai tribe here in the southern swamplands of Papua. The centerpiece of the feast is Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, a beetle better known as the sago palm weevil, whose larval grub is considered a delicacy here.
The party lasts all night, the grubs served up with sago starch and wrapped in sago palm leaves, and the revelers dance and sing, talk and exchange goods with one another.
“If there’s any animosity [between clans], we’ll throw the sago grub festival to bring back peace,” Yambumo Kwanimba, the head of the festival, tells Mongabay. “If we’re dancing, that means we’ve already made peace. No more killing and no more animosity.”
The sago grub feast is the most important festival for the Kombai, for whom sago is a dietary staple and the putative source of life. It’s a festival that redresses imbalances in life, such as natural disasters and conflicts, and brings peace and harmony back to the community.
This year’s sago grub festival, however, holds special meaning for the Kombai people. The forests where they cultivate their sago palms are under threat of being parceled out by the local government to agribusiness giants looking to plant a different type of palm: oil palm, whose rapid spread across Sumatra and Borneo has already devastated vast swaths of forest there.
“I throw this sago grub festival to protect our ancestral forests so that they don’t get taken away by companies,” Yambumo says. “If we lose our forests, then we also lose our tradition.”………………………...

1) Rebel music: the protest songs of New Caledonia’s independence referendum


1) Rebel music: the protest songs of New Caledonia’s independence referendum


Members of Kool Groove at Fest Mela, draped in the Kanak flag. Michael Webb





2) New Caledonia’s independence referendum explained


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1) Archaeologist finds megalithic statue in Srobu site, Papua


2) West Papuans eye business opportunities in PNG


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https://en.antaranews.com/news/120059/archaeologist-finds-megalithic-statue-in-srobu-site-papua
1) Archaeologist finds megalithic statue in Srobu site, Papua
Reporter: 




The Neolithic Site of Mount Srobu in the Yotefa Bay area, Abe Pantai Village, Jayapura City, Papua Province. (Jayapura Archaeological Center)



Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - An archaeologist from Papua Archaeological Center, Erlin Novita Idje Djami, together with her team, has found two megalithic statues of Polynesian style on the Mount Srobu site located in Abepantai Village, Abepura District, Jayapura City, Papua Province.

"In 2018, we have made a spectacular discovery, namely two megalithic statues of Polynesian style. But, I prefer to call them the megalithic statues of Srobu Papua," she stated here on Wednesday.

She added that the discovery was extraordinary and unique because the statues were different from those found in other areas in Papua.

The two statues are one meter high and weigh around 50 to 60 kilograms.

"The two statues and other cultural materials are being analyzed at the Papua Archaeological Center," Djami noted.

She revealed that the Srobu Mountain Site is one of the important archaeological sites in Jayapura city. This site is located on a cape in Youtefa Gulf. This area is a place for some locals to look for shells as raw material to make lime that is used for chewing betel.

"In February 2014, we got information that there were bones found in Srobu Mountain. The locals guessed the bones were those of Japanese soldiers," she remarked, adding that the Papua Archeology Center, together with the Provincial Culture and Tourism Office, later went to the location to check the information.

"Surprisingly, we not only found bones but also various cultural objects, such as pottery fragments, stone tools, and mollusks shells. I can say that this is one of the great archaeological sites in Papua," Djami revealed.

After that, the Papua Archeology Center set up a plan to conduct the first research in 2014.

"That year, we carried out a surface survey but did not cover all areas. We also carried out excavations and found a number of stone axe artifacts, oval axes, and tools made of shells, beside pottery with beautiful decoration, "he added.

According to E Djami , the findings of cultural objects characterize a culture from prehistoric times.

"From the dating, the Mount Srobu site has been inhabited since 3,780 before present or BP. This means the site is from Neolithic era, showing that Papua already has an extraordinary culture," she noted.

In addition to Neolithic culture, in 2015, the researchers also found megalithic relics, in the form of menhirs and dolmens, which were neatly arranged on the ground.

"We will continue this research until this year. So, every year, our research on the Srobu Site discovers unique new things that illustrate a cultural revolution at that location," she explained.

He hoped that the Srobu Site could become one of the historical tourist destinations in Jayapura City in particular, and Papua, in general.

"This Srobu Site is an open prehistoric settlement. Neolithic settlements in Indonesia are very few, but in Papua, the findings of this culture are extraordinary," she elaborated, adding that Srobu Site is more unique than all the Neolithic or prehistoric settlement sites in Papua.

Reporting by Alfian Rumagit
Editing by Libertina, Yoseph Hariyadi 

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

West Papua National Committee calls for general strike



West Papua National Committee calls for general strike

about 1 hour ago 



After electing a new leader, the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, has called for a general strike of all Papuan workers.



Executive members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) at their second congress, Jayapura, October 2018. Photo: Supplied
The pro-independence KNPB has just concluded its second congress in Jayapura, attended by hundreds of its representatives across Indonesian-ruled Papua region.
The congress was held in a secure location the suburb of Waena, amidst pressures from hundreds of police who tried to prevent the event proceeding.
A new KNPB executive was inaugurated, with Agus Kossay elected the new chairman, replacing Victor Yeimo .
Now the KNPB's international spokesman, Mr Yeimo said it was time for Papuans to take civil action to press their demands for a legitimate self-determination process.
"So we want them to stop all the activity in West Papua, from economic activity, from political activity. What we want now in West papua is Indonesia should accept our demand for a referendum in West Papua. So it is time for people of West Papua to stop all activity of colonialism and capitalism in West Papua.”

After the congress, the KNPB issed a declaration announcing the call for a general strike.
Mr Yeimo said a date for the strike would be announced later, when the call for civil action had been widely disseminated around Papua region.
The declaration reaffirmed the KNPB's recognition of the West Papua Liberation Army, or TPNPB, as the "only" military force representing West Papuans.
The KNPB has also reaffirmed its support for "diplomatic unity" within the United Liberation Movement for West Papua as the lead "coordinating" body in international fora.
Meanwhile, Mr Yeimo said he was happy for the change in leadership in the KNPB.

"This organisation does not belong to Victor Yeimo or only one," he said. "We have collective leadership within KNPB."
He said everyone in the KNPB remained committed to campaigning peacefully for an independent West Papua.
"That is why we choose a national strike as a peaceful agenda," Mr Yeimo explained.
"So people power can go down the road. This is the big agenda in West Papua, for all people in West Papua, whether people who work for Indonesia, or who work for capitalism or colonialism, this is the time for them to realise and let us be together to strike to choose and go for our future.”

KNPB second congress, Waena, Jayapura, October 2018. Photo: Supplied

1) Malaria cases in Nabire have dropped dramatically

2) Goodbye to Australia's dangerous delusion
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1) Malaria cases in Nabire have dropped dramatically

Published 4 hours ago on 30 October 2018 
By pr9c6tr3_juben

The figure of malaria case or Annual Parasite Incidence (API) in Nabire Regency reportedly continued to decline in the last three years. A data compiled from all community health centres and private laboratories in Nabire indicates that by June 2018, the malaria case is only 13,36% compared to 71% in 2015.
Based on this data, the Nabire Health Office is confident be able to contribute to accomplishing the elimination of malaria by 2028 for Papua Province and by 2030 for Indonesia.
Yenni Derek, the manager of malaria control program of the Nabire Regional Health Office, said the API number of 13.36 % indicates the number of Annual Blood Examination Rate (ABER) or the averaged number of examined patients (178.44%) and the Slide Positivity Rate (SPR) of malaria (7.488%).
If the national figure shows 1 SPR per 1,000 populations, which means of 1,000 people, only one is malaria positive. Therefore, in Nabire, there are 14 malaria positives amongst 1,000 inhabitants. “The API is obtained by adding up the total of malaria cases and then divide it with the number of the population before multiplying it with 1,000,” Derek explained to Jubi on Wednesday, 24 October 2018.
The Regional Health Office, said Derek, continues to reduce these numbers through ongoing programs, such as the distribution of mosquito nets and community counselling.  The office also established the Nabire Center for malaria control management and conducted training for the Participatory Learning Action (PLA) facilitators by involving the village community.
Derek further explained that there are a few sub-districts of 15 such as Moora, Menou and Dipa, where the malaria cases rarely found. The reason is these sub-districts have less population compared to others. So, the number of malaria cases is also affected by the number of people, despite the environment and lack of awareness, especially on the lifestyle.
She also said for the last three years, the Regional Health Office and the community health centre has conducted a regular check-up, public awareness campaign and the distribution of mosquito nets.
“However, I believe that people nowadays have become more aware and understand the importance of this issue. We observe that currently they already use the nets distributed by our officers,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Head of Disease Control and Eradication Division (P2P) of the Nabire Regional Health Office, dr. Frans Sayori said that all health service units (Yankes) must control malaria by providing the Anti-Malaria Medication (OAM).
“If someone feels a fever, do not immediately give them other medications. Firstly, you should examine the blood of patients first because fever does not mean malaria,” he said.
Moreover, he said the participation of community and stakeholders such as the private sector and the government should work together for several reasons. “The local government agencies such as the Public Works Office, the Environmental Service Office, should collaborate to provide the clean water, sanitation and clean environment. So it’s not a responsibility of a certain agency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of Technical Unit for AIDS-TB-Malaria of the Papua Provincial Health Office dr. Beeri Wopari said Malaria Center for Meepago indigenous area is in Timika. It was established as a coordination centre, not for a centre to control and prevent malaria.
“It’s only for coordination. According to the policy of the Ministry of Health and the Papua Governor’s Regulation on malaria control, it divides per indigenous territory, and for Meepago, it’s base is in Timika,” he said.
To lead to malaria elimination goal for Papua in 2028, he said, it needs cross-sectoral cooperation between the government agencies and private institutions as well as the participation of the community.
“We have met and coordinated in the meeting involved all relevant stakeholders in Meepago customary area some time ago in Timika,” he said.
According to Wopari, the leading units, namely village chiefs, communities and families should initiate such efforts to accelerate malaria control. Then it goes up to the level of sub-districts, regency and province. They all are needed to facilitate the malaria control program.
“So we use the bottom up method to facilitate the malaria control and work together with the community and relevant stakeholders to ensure the program achievement. Therefore we need to be integrated into one coordination to reduce the malaria cases in Papua regions,” he said.
“We should know what does the contribution from the community, what does the role of the government. If we want to achieve the malaria elimination goal, the community should have their action plan; therefore the health officers know their problems,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Nabire resident Suyono admitted the malaria prevalence in Nabire has reduced. Twenty years ago, he arrived in Nabire and had malaria frequently, but now the disease has never reoccurred.
“I often had malaria when I arrived here twenty years ago. Mosquitos were everywhere perhaps It was still a dense forest,” he said.
He admitted that at that time there was no malaria eradication program and people also less aware of the clean environment and there are also no free mosquito nets.
“Well, that’s the situation in the past. However, I see people rarely have malaria this day,” he said. (*)
 
Reporter: Titus Ruban
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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2) Goodbye to Australia's dangerous delusion
By Peter Hartcher 30 October 2018 — 12:00am

Australia has wasted most of the last decade under the delusion that it could sit passively and "balance" between the US and China. One of the reasons that this is such a dangerous idea is that it encourages the inherent Australian temptation to succumb to a complacent inertia.


The main political parties have awoken to the need to shore up Australia's strategic hinterland, otherwise known as the Pacific.

It's not like a world-scale episode of MasterChef where Australia can sit back and see what delicious offerings the Americans and Chinese are going whip up for us, and "balance" a morsel from one against another while judging the winner.
It is plain that Donald Trump's America cannot be trusted to respect the interests of its allies. It is equally plain that the Chinese Communist Party cannot be trusted. How do you "balance" between the unpalatable and the indigestible?

Today we see a growing realisation that Australia needs to get active to create its own future.
Bill Shorten's Monday speech to the Lowy Institute was an important moment. It showed that both main political parties have awoken to the need to shore up Australia's strategic hinterland, otherwise known as the Pacific.

The Coalition government was slow to wake up to China's program of influence through the Pacific, but it woke up eventually. It hasn't issued a declaratory policy statement to point out the fact, but it's been working to check China's moves one by one since.

Three quick examples. One. When the Turnbull government discovered that Chinese firm Huawei was going to build an underwater internet cable from the Solomon Islands to Australia, it realised the risk of allowing a Chinese entity to plug in to the mainland's arteries. Australia muscled Huawei out and offered $136 million in aid funding to connect the Solomons itself. The cable will also connect Papua New Guinea to Australia.
Two. When Australia learned that the Chinese government was interested in redeveloping four ports in PNG, it quickly stepped in and struck an agreement with the Port Moresby government to enlarge the most militarily important of the ports, the one on Manus Island, into a joint Australian-PNG facility.
Three. When Australia saw that China was getting involved in plans for a regional military training centre for all Pacific Island nations through an upgrade of an army camp in Fiji, Malcolm Turnbull personally negotiated to make Australia the sole foreign donor.
Each is an Australian counter to a Chinese move. It's effective but it's not the best way to do it. Apart from anything else, it says to the Pacific states that Australia doesn't actually care about the people of the Pacific. It says, loud and clear, "we only care about you as a chessboard where we counter China's moves".
This is where Labor has staked out a new and more constructive approach. Rather than Australia arraying itself against China, Labor wants to mobilise in favour of the Pacific. "The fundamental step we need to take, and have needed to take for a long time, is to care about the Pacific," Labor's defence spokesman, Richard Marles, told me three weeks ago.
On Monday the Opposition Leader set out Labor policy as one based on "partnership, not paternalism". The Pacific would be "front and centre" of Labor's foreign policy, not flyover territory.
"We’re talking about a collection of partner nations in an ocean larger than all of earth’s landmass combined - I’ve heard some Pacific Leaders call it ‘the Blue Continent’," Shorten said.
"We will not define our Pacific neighbours by their smallness in size and population but by the greatness of the ocean they are custodians of – and that we share with them."

He said Labor would not only increase aid funding but also create a new infrastructure bank for the Pacific, to "actively facilitate concessional loans and financing for investment in these vital, nation-building projects through a government-backed infrastructure investment bank." His aim? "To make sure" the countries of the Pacific "look to Australia first" as their partner of choice.
Shorten posed it as a project to care for the Pacific peoples rather than the strategic needs of Australia: "Otherwise, within a decade, the 10 million people living across the Pacific islands will be living in some of the least developed nations on the planet."

This is exactly the right way to frame Australia's approach. To help the Pacific reach its potential. It's also self-interested, of course. Would we want a string of disease-ridden failed states to our north, available to China as military bases, or to the terrorists of Daesh as training camps, or to criminal syndicates seeking bases to trafficking in people, drugs and arms? Bill Shorten said: "Our goal will not be the strategic denial of others but rather the economic betterment of the 10 million people of the Pacific islands themselves." The beauty of this approach is that it can achieve both at once.
Labor also has an inherent advantage over the Coalition in its Pacific policy. Three of the Pacific states are literally sinking beneath a rising ocean. Labor can truthfully say that it has better credentials in taking climate change seriously. There are no known photos of Shorten fondly cradling lumps of coal in the House of Representatives.
Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands program director, Jonathan Pryke, said recently that despite China’s growing influence in the region, Pacific leaders preferred to work with Australia rather than China.
“The reality is that the Pacific also wants Australia to be the partner of choice in the region,” he said. “We are more familiar, and they have more power in the relationship. It just needs a lot of work on the Australian side to maintain our position.” Or, better yet, to get ahead of the game.
Peter Hartcher is international editor.
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Monday, October 29, 2018

1) Photographer Captures Daily Life Of Elusive West Papua Korowai Tribe

2) A Survey team rescued after being trapped in Warundi Island

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1) Photographer Captures Daily Life Of Elusive West Papua Korowai Tribe

Jess Hardiman in  NEWS
WARNING: CONTAINS IMAGES DEPICTING NUDITY
An amateur photographer has managed to capture the daily life of an elusive tribe in West Papua, New Guinea, having photographed people across several generations going about activities like cooking and chopping down trees.


After being discovered by anthropologists in the 1970s, the Korowai tribe in south-eastern West Papua have featured in several documentaries - including BBC series Human Planet
However, when an anthropologist called Will Millard travelled there for a BBC doc released earlier this year, My Year With The Tribe, he found that some elements of their lifestyle had actually been set up for entertainment - such as the massive tree houses they'd been filmed building, where had been commissioned by film crews.
Hoping to unearth what everyday life for the Korowai people was really like, photographer Maxim Russkikh has released a series of striking images depicting the mysterious tribe - as the western world creeps in and threatens its traditional life.


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2) A Survey team rescued after being trapped in Warundi Island
Published 9 hours ago on 29 October 2018 
By pr9c6tr3_juben

Manokwari, Jubi – A survey team consisted of seven officers of the Cenderawasih Bay National Park (BBTNTC) and three locals in Manokwari reportedly trapped in Wairundi Island of Teluk Wondama Regency, about 59 kilometres from Manokwari.
A resident of Tamanria Manokwari Yani reported this incident to the Manowari Search and Rescue Office on Friday (26/10/2018) at around 11:10 Papua time. A member of survey team Donatus made contact with her to inform their situation. Based on this report, George M. Randang, the Head of Manokwari Search and Rescue Office, promptly sent a Rescue Carrier and a Rescue Car to the scene after ten minutes (11:20 WP).
“They were trapped because of bad weather. Due to storms and high waves, they could not sail while their food supplies were limited,” explained Randang.
The names of the BBTNTC officers confirmed by the Public Relations of the Manokwari Search and Rescue Office are the Survey Coordinator Syahirudin (male, 36 years old), Topo Budinarko (male, 38 years old), Donatus Aujani (male, 34 years old), Titus Charles (Male, 37 years old), Mesak Andarek (male, 52 years old), Anto (male, 40 years old), and Gerardus (male, 40 years old). Meanwhile, three locals are Yakonias (male, 38 years old), Bastian Sikun (male, 37 years old) and Otto Eseren (male, 40 years old).

Safe and Sound 
Antara (27/10/2018) reported that the rescue team successfully evacuated them and they arrived safely in Manokwari on Saturday (27/10/2018).
The Head of the Manokwari Search and Rescue Office said the rescue operation involving 22 personnel was carried out on Saturday morning using SS Kumbakarna.
“This is the second operation after the first failed due to the bad weather. We arrived at Wairundi Island at aroun 2:00 Papua time,” he said.
Furthermore, he explained they also found the fact that there is a toddler named Ayub among the BBTNTC survey and monitoring team. Therefore, they are eleven in total. The child was reportedly safe and healthy.
“Praise the Lord, all survive, including a toddler Ayub. This child can survive by only eating the coconut,” he said.
In operation, he continued, the ship docked in the middle of the sea, while lifeboats and rescuers were deployed to pick up these people one by one. They successfully evacuated and then arrived in Manokwari through Agrem Harbor at around 08:05 Papua time. Currently, all survivors are safe in their homes.
Meanwhile, the Coordinator of BBTNTC Monitoring Team Syahirudin said they have been in uninhabited Wairundi Island since 22 October 2018 to conduct monitoring on green turtles.
“It’s part of our tasks to do monitoring on the areas of the Cenderawasih Bay National Park. We prepared our stocks of food for five days, but it runs out on the fourth while due to the bad weather, we couldn’t leave the island,” he said.
He further said the level of sea waves around the island has raised in the last few days, which was about 3 to 4 meters. They survived without food for a day and two nights.
“We ate the coconut that drifted from another island because there is no coconut tree on this island,” he said. (*)

Reporter: Hans Kapisa
Editor: Pipit Maizier

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Police deploy to Papua village after hostage taking


Police in Papua will deploy to a village where 15 people were reportedly taken hostage by the West Papua Liberation Army and later released.
8:36 pm today 


Members of the West Papua Liberation Army  Photo: RNZ / Suara Wiyaima
Local media report the group of school teachers and medical workers were held as hostages in Nduga district for two weeks earlier this month.
Antara News reports all 15 civilians held in Mapenduma village were released on October 17 and flown out of Nduga.
One female teacher was reportedly raped by members of the armed group and hospitalised after her release.
Akouboo Amatus Douw, a Liberation Army spokesperson, said reports of hostage taking and rape were false.
He said the Liberation Army held a meeting in Mapenduma earlier this month where teachers and medical workers suspected of working for the Indonesian military were "kept quiet".
Mr Douw said this was only for a few hours and denied it amounted to hostage taking.
Around 100 school children in Mapenduma could no longer access education after the incident, said Papua police chief Inspector General Martuani Sormin.
The Governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, said teachers working in Papua should have an understanding of the culture there.
"Don't just send the teacher carelessly, eventually it will be like this," he said on Friday in the provincial capital of Jayapura.
Mr Enembe said there were no witnesses to the alleged rape and reports around it were unclear.
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