2) BMKG Urges Papua Residents to Remain Cautious of Potential Quake, Tsunami
----------------------------------
------------------------------------------------
lots of photos in article.
1) Ancient tribe on the brink of being wiped out by Christian missionaries
Kate BuckMonday 22 Oct 2018 10:12 am
An ancient tribe that knows little of the world outside their rainforest home is close to being wiped out by Christian missionaries. Amateur photographer Maxim Russkikh, 36, from Moscow, Russia, spent 15 days trying to find the Korowai people of south eastern Papua New Guinea. As they trekked more than 75 miles into the forest they came across many abandoned Korowai settlements, and could only find two in the massive expanse of jungle.
There are only around 3,000 Korowai remaining and Maxim thinks their way of life is being stamped out by Christian missionaries and the Indonesian government who wish to force their culture upon them. He said: ‘Korowai also known as Kolufo – is the mysterious tribe of south eastern Papua who lives in the least explored jungles in the world and has had little contact with the outside world.
‘Christian missionaries, who have been making contact with tribes for five hundred years, are still trying to do so today. ‘Korowai have managed to survive in the harsh environment of the rainforest over thousands of years keeping its traditional culture alive. And it seems like right now they are disappearing day by day.
‘They are surrounded by the dozens of missionary villages supported by the Indonesian government with the only purpose to introduce the western culture and spiritual values. ‘Hundreds of Korowai have moved already from the jungles to newly constructed missionary settlements and more are coming.’ ‘The missionaries think that the tribes are primitive and living pitiful lives in the dark and their ultimate aim is to convert them to Christianity.’ Maxim added: ‘There are less than a hundred uncontacted small tribes around the world and they need to be protected by international law.
‘Uncontacted tribes are the most vulnerable people on earth, especially in West Papua, and they need to survive.’ ‘The first documented contact by scientists took place in 1974. Korowai people are generally hunter-gatherers, they must share everything they hunt or gather in order to survive including the living space.
‘Korowai people live in clans that usually consist of two to three tree houses in one forest cleared site, securing the territory of up-to 50 sq km. Usually from five to eight people live in the tree house at one time. ‘Korowai are skilled hunters and are sometimes away from their homes for days, hunting for rats, pigs, birds and fish. The staple for their prey consists of sago and bananas. ‘After the sago palm is harvested and split by men, the heart of the sago palm, which produces a starchy substance, is washed and kneaded or beaten by the women to get the sago flour.’
----------------------
2) BMKG Urges Papua Residents to Remain Cautious of Potential Quake, Tsunami
By : Robert Isidorus and Sheany | on 11:59 PM October 22, 2018
Jakarta. The Indonesian weather office has issued an advisory for residents of Papua to remain alert of a potential earthquake or tsunami, after several tremors in the province over the past few days.
"There are several earthquake-prone districts: Sarmi, Biak, Serui, Nabire and Jayapura, so for residents living in those areas, we advise them to be cautious when an earthquake occurs, and to be ready for evacuation," Petrus Demon Sili, head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Jayapura's fifth district, was quoted as saying by Suara Pembaruan on Monday.
As these areas are on flat terrain and located close to the sea, there are limited options to seek higher ground, should disaster strike, he added.
"These districts could potentially be struck not only by a local tsunami, but also a regional one. This happened during the 2011 Japan tsunami, which also impacted Jayapura," Petrus noted.
Papua experienced several earthquakes over the past few days. Sarmi district recorded a magnitude-5.7 quake on Friday, followed by a magnitude-4.7 quake that hit Jayapura on Sunday.
Indonesia is still grappling with the aftermath of deadly disasters in Central Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara, which together claimed the lives of nearly 2,700 people.
The impact of those disasters has raised concern over Indonesia's disaster preparedness.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes, but the extent of the damage in the earthquake and tsunami in Palu and Donggala in Central Sulawesi revealed substantial shortcomings in the country's early warning system and disaster mitigation efforts, mostly due to insufficient funding.
The BMKG in Jayapura said it was working closely with the district government to educate citizens on disaster preparedness, including through simulations.
"We are working with the government to train the people so that they can save themselves through self-evacuation in the event of a disaster," Petrus said.
-----------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.