WEST PAPUAN VILLAGES DO NOT HAVE GOOD ACCESS ON ELECTRICITY

Sairo, a small village which is located in the northern coast of West Papua, can be reached within 15 minutes drive from Manokwari. Like many other West Papuan villages, Sairo doesn't have electricity. It has a number of water falls that can be utilized to generate electricity but the locals do not have the know how to do it.

I surveyed the waterfalls last year. The highest one was around one or two kilometers walking from the village. In the past, the village was called Pami. Then, it was split into several small villages. I only remember Sairo.

After doing the survey and making the calculation on the potential energy and the amount of electricity which we can generate from the waterfall, I gave the proposal to my friend so that he could send it to any organizations abroad to obtain funding.

We waited for one year but we did not get any answers. At the end of 2007, workers from PLN (the only state owned electrical company) installed cables, switch and lamp sockets in every house in those villages promising the villagers that they would enjoy electricity before Christmas. They could not fulfill their promise.

Yesterday, my sister who works for TV Manokwari visited one of the villages. She and her friend Moni asked about the story of the wiring installation. The villagers showed their disappointment in front of the camera. After taking films and interviewing the villagers, she went on to the PLN office to meet the one of the staffs who was responsible for public relation desk. The man had just been installed in his position and refused filming. He was afraid of being shown on the TV screen. He promised to visit the village with my sister to find more information about this case.

If villages near the capital city of the province cannot get electricity then you can easily guess the condition of other villages which are located in the mountainous regions.

West Papua is rich in natural resource including oil and gas but most of the villages there cannot enjoy that abundant resource. They have numerous big and small rivers, waterfalls which can be utilized to generate electricity. What we can do to help the local West Papuan is to provide special training on renewable energy especially on how to generate electricity using micro-hydro technology. Anybody who are willing to help can contact me anytime as I am also studying this technology. I have known the theories but I am lack of practical experiences. by Charles Roring

MASTER OF WEAVING AND PLAITING

Introducing a West Papuan Artist, Ms. Marice Fonataba

West Papua is not only famous of its Sarang Semut and Buah Merah medicines which many people now believe can cure various kinds of diseases. In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace visited Manokwari (formerly known as Dorey bay) and admired that Papuans were very brilliant artists. In his report, The Malay Archipelago, he was astonished to see that their love of art had existed side by side with their "savage" civilization; tribal wars and cannibalism. 

Today Papuans are fighting to survive in this 21st century. They pursue what the whole world pursue, modernism, yet the modernity doesn't change their life habit into individualism and capitalism. They still rely on communal relations, they still love art and struggling to preserve their cultural identity.

Just nine hours ago (29 June, 2007 at 17.30), I visited a Papuan artist whose talents are extraordinary. An expert in weaving, plaiting; and handicraft making. She started making and selling handicraft in order to raise her children, shortly after his husband died. He accidently fell off a ship into the sea around Sarmi regency in 1987. His body has never been found. Alone, she had to raise her three children, Daniel Fatie, Maria Fatie, and Annike Fatie. All of them have got married now giving her 11 grandchildren. Her name is Ms. Marice Fonataba. She began learning clothes weaving in 1985 from a Roman Catholic nun. It took six months to master it.

From her skillfull hands, traditional clothes with unique Papuan motifs have been created. Besides weaving, she also creates many artworks made of natural fibers, seashell, beads, barks, and animal skin.

Most of the materials can be obtain from the jungle several hundred meters behind her home. To make a skirt she needs thousands of small sized beads called manik-manik. Bigger beads are available in the nature. Interested in her talents and creativity, local government officials from such regencies as Jayapura, Biak and Serui invited her to exhibit her products, and to give weaving lessons to Papuan girls. For her hard work they gave her reward letters.

Two Papuan kids were wearing traditional costume

Unfortunately, she cannot easily sell her products. She does not have a gallery. Actually she and other artists in Manokwari city have asked the local government to provide an art gallery in strategic location in the city harbour or airport. It costs a lot of money to build a gallery in that location. All of the traditional artists cannot affort to finance the project. Recently, a small art gallery has been opened by a migrant investor in Rendani airport but it is very far from her home. So, she only displays her products at home which is located some one hundred meters at the back of the Roman Catholic Church, Gereja Katedral St. Agustinus, Manokwari, West Papua.

Ms. Fonataba is originally from Serui, West Papua. The motifs of her artworks are mostly influenced by her tribe's motifs.

She also creates artworks with motifs from other tribes in the bird's head region. "Every tribe has her own motifs, we cannot mix them in one costume, for instance the wedding costume of Serui. As shown in the picture below, the bride wears an ornamented skirt called Sireo. When her family wants to escort her for the first time to her bridegrooms's home, the bride will wear it. "It takes six months to make the Sireo," Ms. Fonataba said. In the past, people made it of beads produced by certain plants but now they use thousands of smaller beads. These manufactured beads are sold by shops in the downtown. The bride will wrap her upper body with a piece of Kain Timor (traditional cloth weaved from natural fiber). She also wears manik-manik necklace and decorates her head with a dried paradise bird.

Ms. Marice Fonataba was making sireo

For the bridegroom, he wears an ornamented headband also made of beads called Wehus. The Timor cloth consists grades i.e., Toba, Bokek and Sarim.They are used as dowry. The most valued one is Toba. The most valued Toba is the ones whom the Papuan got from Portuguese traders hundreds of years ago long before Indonesian and the Dutch came to West Papua. It is also used by people when they want to settle many Adat cases. When somebody killed someone. He or she will have to pay the fine with Toba cloth. It is not clear how many pieces he/ she has to pay. The fine is not only the Toba but also some other things such as money, pigs and etc. The value of the cloth depends on the number of mata (rows of ornaments in the cloth). Usually, there are at least three matas. For the current price, one mata equals to one million rupiahs. If there are 15 matas, the price of the Toba cloth will be 15 million rupiahs. On the girl's arms, there are two sea shell bracelets. This was written by Charles Roring

If you are interested to order her products, you can contact her :

Description:

Picture 1: Ms. Marice Fonataba was showing rewards for her achievements in promoting Papuan handicrafts from local governments. Unfortunately, they only gave this widow papers instead of an art gallery.

Traditional Papuan cloth

Picture 2: Sireo (meaning: wear it), is a traditional skirt of Papuan girl of Ambai tribe in Serui island. It is made of thousands of small beads and needs six months to make.

Picture 3: Ms. Marice Fonataba, sitting on the floor together with her grandchildren, was weaving the traditional Papuan cloth.

Picture 4: The Wedding Costume of Ambai tribe, Serui West Papua. It can also be considered as a grandeur costume which is used in traditional official occasions.

Contact:

Ms. Marice Fonataba Mobile Phone: 0852 328 402 95

If you visit or know someone who wants to visit Manokwari,

please, don't forget to drop by at her address located behind the Catholic church:

Jl. Brawijaya,

Belakang Gereja Katolik Katedral St. Agustinus Manokwari,

Provinsi Papua Barat,

Republik Indonesia

West Papuan Artists in Manokwari were Visited by Foreign Tourists

Last night (25 March 2008, at arount 20.00 local time), I was visited by an old friend of mine. His name is Paul Warere. Paul came to tell me about the latest meeting held this afternoon by Nico and him concerning their art group activities. Their art group, in cooperation with Kaumi Foundation, held a training in handycraft making in early December last year. I coordinated the training representing the foundation where I was one of the staffs. Nico, as the head of the art group, asked me to help him organize the training and promote the artists.
Paul said that two foreigners came to visit them a few days ago. They wanted to buy art products. They brought with them a map which I designed and posted on the internet. They bought a sheet of hand made cloth weaved by Ms. Marice Fonataba. In that website I wrote articles about West Papuan artists. I also put pictures of them and the art products they made. By doing that, I hope that more tourists will come to their houses and buy their products. When foreigners visit these West Papuan artists, they will be able to help them directly.
Paul said that the participants of the meeting received certificates and also made goals to produce more art products. These artists lived in Kompleks Missi.

Dutch tourists were buying postcards with drawings made by artist Paul Warere printed on it.

I created a website in order to help the local people create their own jobs. More buyers to their products meant more jobs for the local people. I told Paul Warere that I would continue to support them through internet promotion. Besides I asked him to tell Nico to contact Dinas Perindustrian to ask for financial supports from them.
In the training, Mr. Kosamah who represented Dinas Pendidikan and Pengajaran said that the local government was considering the construction of an art gallery around the harbour area of Manokwari town. We would see if they wouldfwould their promise or not.
Unfortunately, I accidently formatted my harddisk where I kept files of the above website. I had to start all over again for creating a new website for these West Papuan artists. This was written by Charles Roring

Minahasa, an agricultural region

In December 2006, I was in Minahasa, North Sulawesi. I traveled around the region by car for one week. I visited Sonder, Tincep, Rambunan, Tanawangko, and Manado. I also went to Tomohon, Kawangkoan, Langowan, Bitung and Amurang. I saw most of the small towns of Minahasa, including Leilem, Woloan and Tondano. The scenery was beautiful.

A long the way, I could see farmers growing corn, rice, coconut and even Jati, Cempaka, Lingua, and Mahoni trees. Trees are cut when they have reached around thirty years old. The wood is then sold to furniture and pre-fabricated home companies in Leilem and Woloan.

In Kawangkoan, the farmers grew peanuts. Roasted peanuts are sold along the main road of the town. Tourists liked to visit this town to buy roasted peanuts, dodol, and halua (traditional cookies made of peanuts and palm sugar).

Roda Sapi di Minahasa

In Sonder, we could see many fish ponds along the river banks. In the middle of the town, businessman run restaurants which are built above the fish ponds. When we want to order fried or grilled fish from the menu, the cook or restaurant worker might ask you to choose the fish from the pond. So, the food that you'll eat is fresh. But Sonder is not only famous for its floating restaurants. In the past, it was famous for its clove plantation. Clove was harvested and sold to cigarette companies such as Gudang Garam, Bentoel, and Djarum in Java. Now clove is not the main commodity of the farmers.

Minahasa is an agriculture region. If we go to mountainous areas, we will see various kinds of farm land filled with commodities that are useful for the economy of the people. Most farmers raise pigs at the back of their houses.

Tondano is the capital town of Minahasa regency. Its is flat. In the suburb, we can see thousands of hectares of paddy field. The small town whose dwellers grow rice is Langowan.

Coconut trees can be found in the whole region of Minahasa. It has become the driving force of local economy for years. Wealthy farmers bring copra from their village to Bimoli factory by trucks or modified Toyota Hardtop. Traditional farmers usually ride pedati, a cow-drawn cart. Agriculture produce is brought from gardens to the market by pedati. Unfortunately, the number of pedati is getting lower replaced by modern trucks.

The soaring price of fuel oil may influence the farmers to use pedati again. It is considered cheaper but slower than a car. Pedati is also a good attraction for tourists who like to travel around the villages of Minahasa.

Well, I think it's enough for now. I will carry on my story about this region in my next article.

Also read:

• Birding Vacation in North Sulawesi
• Birdwatching Tour in Minahasa Highland
• Sahul Sunbird in Minahasa Highland
• Minahasa Beach and Great-billed Kingfisher
• Birds in Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Exploring the Natural Beauty of North Sulawesi
• Yellow-billed Malkoha
• Birding in Minahasa Peninsula
• Nature Tour in North Sulawesi 

Sapi Bali Beranak Sapi Perah

Kawan saya, Harry Fatem, seorang dokter hewan lulusan Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) bertemu dengan saya di suatu sore tanggal 20 Februari 2008. Ia baru saja kembali dari Jakarta setelah menghadiri pertemuan CIVAS (Center for Indonesian Veterinary Analytical Studies) di hotel Grand Hyatt guna membahas masalah flu burung.
Sore itu, sambil duduk di atas motor dinasnya, ia terlihat marah-marah di hpnya. Saya datang dari belakang dan mengagetkannya. Ia terdengar sedang mengomeli saudara-saudaranya di kampung yang meminta uang untuk membeli daging babi dari kota buat acara peresmian gedung gereja. Ya, memang tidak masuk akal. Sebenarnya orang-orang kampung itu diberi saja sedikit uang rokok untuk pergi berburu babi di hutan. Tapi itu bukan cerita utama saya hari ini.
Kami pun masuk ke ruang baca di toko buku saya, setelah ngomong sana – ngomong sini akhirnya kita sampai pada topik dunia usaha.
Menurutnya, ia baru saja mendapat restu dari pemda Sorong mengenai proyek pengembangan ternak sapi perah. Satu ekor sapi perah dewasa mungkin harganya bisa mencapai 15 juta rupiah. Tapi dengan teknologi tranfer embrio maka biayanya bisa ditekan. Rencana awal, jumlah embrio yang akan dibeli adalah 30 ekor. Kalau satu ekor dihargai 3 juta maksimum maka ongkosnya mencapai 90 juta. Kalau induk yang dipilih adalah sapi pedaging dengan harga per ekor 3 juta maka perlu 90 juta lagi. Hitung-hitung jumlahnya 180 juta. Tapi induk itu dikemudian bisa dipotong atau diternakkan lagi.
Kalkulasi di atas kertas memang lebih murah transfer embrio. Hanya saja, transfer embrio memerlukan keahlian khusus dan kawan saya drh. Harry Fatem menjamin bahwa ia bisa melaksanakan hal tersebut. Ia memang memiliki kemampuan untuk hal tersebut. Semasa kuliah dulu, ia pernah bekerja di sebuah perusahaan peternakan sapi perah dengan jumlah ternak mencapai beberapa ratus ekor. Tidak heran, jika apa yang ia kemukakan ini adalah hal biasa baginya sedangkan bagi peternak pada umumnya, hal tersebut cukup rumit.
Ya, semoga saja impiannya itu bisa menjadi kenyataan supaya di tanah Papua ini orang-orang untuk pertama kalinya bisa melihat Sapi Bali (pedaging) beranak Sapi Perah. Itulah bio teknologi. Aneh tapi nyata. He... he... he... by Charles Roring