Jayapura. Indonesian security forces are pursuing members of an armed separatist group following an attack that killed four road construction workers in Tolikara Regency, Highland Papua, military officials said on Monday.
According to Colonel Tri Purwanto, spokesman for the Cenderawasih Regional Military Command, the attack took place on Sunday night while the workers were resting at their project camp in Wokini District.
"The manhunt is targeting the armed group led by Botak Wanimbo and Teranus Enumbi, which attacked the workers on Sunday night and killed several of them," Tri said. He said three other workers escaped during the assault.
The four victims were identified as Arman Sibarani, Erlin Aritonang, Alfons, and Barengga, all employees of PT Sutan Harauli Jaya, the contractor responsible for the road construction project.
"We strongly condemn this act of violence, which claimed the lives of civilians working to build infrastructure for the people of Papua," Tri said.
The separatist group known as the Free Papua Movement (OPM) later claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement on Monday, OPM spokesman Sebby Sambom asserted that the group had targeted individuals it alleged were Indonesian military intelligence personnel posing as construction workers. The group claimed five people were killed, a figure that differs from the military's confirmed death toll of four.
Sebby also warned military personnel and migrants working in occupations including motorcycle taxi drivers, construction workers, healthcare workers, teachers, and civil servants to leave areas the group considers its operational territory.
The military has denied OPM's allegations that the victims were intelligence operatives.
Last month, the OPM also claimed responsibility for the killing of Nicholas Goselin, an American pilot with Associated Mission Aviation, in Yahukimo Regency, Highland Papua.
“We perform this dance to welcome our guests and invited visitors,” Felle told Jubi after the performance, explaining that the tifa drummers follow the commands of the kerembut player throughout the performance.
Felle said the kerembut is a traditional musical instrument unique to the Sentani people and forms an important part of the cultural identity of the Sentani community, including the people of Yobeh Village.
“The kerembut is one of the ceremonial regalia of the Ondoafi (traditional chief). It cannot be used during customary celebrations without the Ondoafi’s permission, and obtaining that permission can cost tens of millions of rupiah,” he said.
According to Felle, the instrument is carved from a hardwood known in the Sentani language as Enaye, a timber prized for its resonant sound. The wood is sourced from the Cycloop Mountains.
“The timber is extremely heavy and usually requires around ten people to carry it. After carving, it is dried in the sun to produce a clear, resonant tone,” he said.
Felle explained that the distinctive sound of the kerembut serves as the cue for the tifa drummers, allowing them to strike their drums in unison while synchronising with the rhythmic footwork of the dancers encircling the kerembut player.
“I stand in the centre playing the kerembut, surrounded by the tifa drummers, while the women dance in the outer circle,” he said.
He added that, according to Sentani custom, only men are permitted to play the kerembut. Women are traditionally prohibited from doing so because of a cultural belief that playing the instrument could affect their fertility.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr I Wayan Rai S. of the Publishing Centre at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Denpasar, in his study Kelambut Music: An Ethnic Identity of the Sentani People of Papua, examines the kerembut from an ethnomusicological perspective.
He argues that the kerembut is an essential marker of Sentani cultural identity and that understanding its role is vital to preserving the heritage of the Sentani people.
The kerembut is a traditional Sentani instrument shaped like a small canoe and played with wooden beaters during customary festivals, musical performances, and cultural seminars.
“In Sentani society, the kerembut symbolises togetherness and serves as a source of tolerance,” I Wayan Rai said.
He described the instrument as a particularly significant subject of ethnomusicological study whose existence must be understood within the broader context of Sentani culture.
According to his research, kerembut music performs important roles in both secular and sacred ceremonies. In secular settings, it functions primarily as entertainment, while in sacred ceremonies its significance is closely tied to religious beliefs and spiritual traditions.
Its meaning may relate to the community’s relationship with God, ancestral spirits, deities, or other spiritual beings regarded as possessing supernatural powers, depending on the beliefs and worldview of the community that performs it. (*)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.