Papua (province)

Papua, formerly known as West Irian and Irian Jaya, is a province of Indonesia, comprising the northern coast of Western New Guinea together with island groups in Cenderawasih Bay to the west. It roughly follows the borders of the Papuan customary region of Mamta – Saireri and is divided into eight regencies () and one city (kota), the latter being the provincial capital of Jayapura.

It is bordered by the nation of Papua New Guinea to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the north, Cenderawasih Bay to the west, and the provinces of Central Papua and Highland Papua to the south. The province also shares maritime boundaries with Palau in the Pacific. Papua, along with the five other Papuan provinces, has a higher degree of autonomy compared to other Indonesian provinces.

Before 2003, the province (known as Irian Barat from 1963 to 1973 and Irian Jaya from 1973 to 2002) covered the entirety of Western New Guinea, a region also known as "Papua". In 2002, Papua adopted its current name and was granted a special autonomous status under Indonesian legislation. In 2001, the western end of the province was split off into a new province of West Papua, and in July 2022 the provinces of Central Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua were also split off, leaving the current province covering a much smaller northern area around Jayapura, the northern part of the former province, and the islands in the Cenderawasih Bay.

The official estimate of the population in mid-2025 of the province within its current borders was 1,073,640 (comprising 560,920 males and 512,720 females), increasing at about 1.31% per year.

Politics

Government

thumb|The Papuan People's Assembly is created formally in 2001 to administer the Papuan Special Autonomy

The province of Papua is governed by a directly elected governor and a regional legislature,the People's Representative Council of Papua (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Papua, abbreviated as DPRP or DPR Papua). A unique government organization in the province is the Papuan People's Assembly (Majelis Rakyat Papua), which was formed by the Indonesian government in 2005, as mandated by the Papua Special Autonomy Law, as a coalition of Papuan tribal chiefs, Papuan religious leaders, and Papuan women representatives, tasked with arbitration and speaking on behalf of Papuan tribal customs.

Since 2014, the DPRP had 55 members who are elected through General elections every five years and 14 people who are appointed through special autonomy, bringing the total number of DPRP members to 69 people. The DPRP leadership consists of 1 Chairperson and 3 Deputy Chairmen who come from political parties that have the most seats and votes. The current DPRP members are the results of the 2019 General Election which was sworn in on 31 October 2019 by the Chairperson of the Jayapura High Court at the Papua DPR Building. The composition of DPRP members for the 2019–2024 period consists of 13 political parties where the NasDem Party is the governing party with 8 seats, followed by the Democratic Party which also won 8 seats and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle which won 7 seats.

The province of Papua is one of seven provinces to have obtained special autonomy status, the others being Aceh, West Papua, Southwest Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua and South Papua (the Special Regions of Jakarta and Yogyakarta have similar province-level special status). According to Law 21/2001 on Special Autonomy Status (UU Nomor 21 Tahun 2001 tentang Otonomi khusus Papua), the provincial government of Papua is provided with authority within all sectors of administration, except for the five strategic areas of foreign affairs, security and defense, monetary and fiscal affairs, religion and justice. The provincial government is authorized to issue local regulations to further stipulate the implementation of the special autonomy, including regulating the authority of districts and municipalities within the province. Due to its special autonomy status, Papua province is provided with a significant amount of special autonomy funds, which can be used to benefit its indigenous peoples. However, the province has low fiscal capacity and it is highly dependent on unconditional transfers and the above-mentioned special autonomy fund, which accounted for about 55% of total revenues in 2008.

After obtaining its special autonomy status, to allow the local population access to timber production benefits, the Papuan provincial government issued several decrees, enabling:

a Timber Logging Permit for Customary Communities, which enabled local people to carry out timber extraction in small concessions (250 to 1,000 hectares) for one year through a community-based or participatory community cooperative;
a Permit to Manage Customary Forests, which was a timber extraction permit for larger concessions (up to 2,000 hectares) for a maximum of 20 years;
logging companies had to pay compensations to local communities in addition to all other fees and taxes collected by the national government.

Administrative divisions

As of 2022 (following the separation of Central Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua province), the residual Papua Province consisted of 8 regencies () and one city (kota); on the map below, these regencies comprise the northern belt from Waropen Regency to Keerom Regency, plus the island groups to their northwest. Initially, the area now forming the present Papua Province contained three regencies – Jayapura, Yapen Waropen and Biak Numfor. The City of Jayapura was separated on 2 August 1993 from Jayapura Regency and formed into a province-level administration. On 11 December 2002, three new regencies were created – Keerom and Sarmi from parts of Jayapura Regency, and Waropen from part of Yapen Waropen Regency (the rest of this regency was renamed as Yapen Islands). On 18 December 2003 a further regency – Supiori – was created from part of Biak Numfor Regency, and on 15 March 2007 a further regency – Mamberamo Raya – was created from the western part of Sarmi Regency. These regencies and the city are together subdivided into districts (distrik), and thence into "villages" (kelurahan and desa). With the release of Act Number 21 of 2001 concerning the Special Autonomous Region of Papua Province, the term distrik was used instead of kecamatan in the entire Western New Guinea. The difference between the two is merely the terminology, with kepala distrik being the district head.

The regencies () and the city (kota) are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2020 census together with the 2020 Human Development Index of each administrative division.

{| class="wikitable collapsible"

! Regional Code

!Name of City or Regency

!Capital

!Districts

!Area in km2

!Population census 2020

!Population estimate mid 2025

!HDI (2020)

! 91.03

|align="left" | Jayapura Regency

|align="center" |Sentani

|Airu, Demta, Depapre, Ebungfau, South Gresi, Kaureh, Kemtuk, Kemtuk Gresi, Namblong, Nimbokrang, Nimboran, Ravenirara, Sentani, West Sentani, East Sentani, Unurum Guay, Waibu, Yapsi, Yokari

| align="right" |14,081.94

| align="right" |166,171

| align="right" |174,850

| align="right" |0.717 ()

! 91.05

|align="left" | Yapen Islands Regency

|align="center" |Serui

|Angkaisera, Anotaurei, Ambai Islands, Kosiwo, Poom, Kurudu Islands, Pulau Yerui, Raimbawi, Teluk Ampimoi, Windesi, Wonawa, West Yapen, South Yapen (Serui), East Yapen, North Yapen, Yawakukat

| align="right" |2,425.37

| align="right" |112,676

| align="right" |120,120

| align="right" |0.677

! 91.06

| align="left" | Biak Numfor Regency

| align="center" |Biak

|Aimando Padaido, Andey, West Biak, Biak City (Biak), East Biak, North Biak, Bondifuar, Bruyadori, West Numfor, East Numfor, Oridek Orkeri, Padaido, Poiru, Samofa, Swandiwe, Warsa, Yawosi, Yendidori

| align="right" |2,258.96

| align="right" |134,650

| align="right" |142,790

| align="right" |0.722 ()

()

! 91.10

|align="left" | Sarmi Regency

|align="center" |Sarmi

|Apawer Hulu, Bonggo, East Bonggo, West Coast, East Coast, East Coast West, Sarmi, South Sarmi, East Sarmi, Top Tor

| align="right" |14,068.31

| align="right" |41,515

| align="right" |43,480

| align="right" |0.636

()

! 91.11

|align="left" | Keerom Regency

|align="center" |Waris

|Arso, West Arso, East Arso, Kaisenar, Mannem, Senggi, Skanto, Towe, Waris, Web, Yaffi

| align="right" |9,526.32

| align="right" |61,623

| align="right" |64,830

| align="right" |0.664

()

! 91.15

|align="left" | Waropen Regency

|align="center" |Botawa

|Demba, Inggerus, Kirihi, Masirei, Oudate, Risei Sayati, Soyoi Mambai, Urei Faisei, Wapoga, Bottom Waropen, Wonti

| align="right" |10,781.04

| align="right" |33,943

| align="right" |36,300

| align="right" |0.649

()

! 91.19

|align="left" | Supiori Regency

|align="center" |Sorendiweri

|Aruri Islands, West Supiori, South Supiori, East Supiori, North Supiori

| align="right" |660.68

| align="right" |22,547

| align="right" |25,030

| align="right" |0.623

()

! 91.20

|align="left" | Mamberamo Raya Regency

|align="center" |Burmeso

|Benuki, Mamberamo Hilir, Mamberamo Hulu, Central Mamberamo (Burmeso), East Central Mamberamo, Rufaer, Sawai, Bottom Waropen

| align="right" |26,745.34

| align="right" |36,483

| align="right" |40,140

| align="right" |0.518 ()

! 91.71

| colspan="2" align="left" | Jayapura City

|Abepura, Heram, Muara Tami, South Jayapura, North Jayapura

| align="right" |835.44

| align="right" |398,478

| align="right" |426,110

| align="right" |0.799 ()

()

| colspan="2" align="left" |Total Papua Province

| align="right" |81,383.30

| align="right" |1,008,086

| align="right" |1,073,640

| align="right" |

()

The province now forms one of Indonesia's 84 national electoral districts to elect members to the People's Representative Council. The Papua Electoral District consists of all of the 8 regencies in the province, together with the city of Jayapura, and elects 3 members to the People's Representative Council.

Geography

thumb|250 px| Teletubbies Hill (Tungkiwiri) in [[Jayapura Regency]]

The province of Papua is located between 2 ° 25' – 9 ° S and 130 ° – 141 ° East. The total area of Papua is now . Until its division in 2022 into four provinces, Papua province was the province that had the largest area in Indonesia, with a total area of 312,816.35 km2, or 19.33% of the total area of the Indonesian archipelago. The boundaries of Papua are: the Pacific Ocean (north), Highland Papua (south), Central Papua (Southwest), and Papua New Guinea (east).

Demographics

While the Papuan branch of the Central Agency on Statistics had earlier projected the 2020 population of the province (as constituted at that time) to be 3,435,430 people the actual census in 2020 revealed a total population of 4,303,707, of which the majority were Christian. The official estimate for mid-2022 was 4,418,581 before the division of the province into four separate provinces, Most of the population in the province is concentrated in coastal regions, especially around the city of Jayapura and its suburbs.

Religion

According to Indonesian Citizenship and Civil Registry in 2022, 70.15% of the Papuans identified themselves as Christians, with 64.68% being Protestants and 5.47% being Catholics. 29.56% of the population are Muslims and less than 1% are Buddhists or Hindus.

Culture

The native Papuan people have a distinct culture and traditions that cannot be found in other parts of Indonesia. Coastal Papuans are usually more willing to accept modern influence into their daily lives, which in turn diminishes their original culture and traditions. Meanwhile, most inland Papuans still preserve their original culture and traditions, although their way of life over the past century is tied to the encroachment of modernity and globalization. Each Papuan tribe usually practices its tradition and culture, which may differ greatly from one tribe to another.

The Ararem tradition is the tradition of delivering the dowry of a future husband to the family of the prospective wife in the Biak custom. In the Biak language, the word "Ararem" means dowry. In this procession, the bride and groom will be escorted on foot in a procession, accompanied by songs and dances accompanied by music. The amount of the dowry is determined by the woman's family as agreed by her relatives. The date of submission of the dowry must be agreed upon by the family of the woman or the family of the prospective wife and the family of the man or the family of the prospective husband. In the tradition of the Biak people, the payment of the dowry is a tradition that must be obeyed because it involves the consequences of a marriage.

Arts and performance

thumb|[[Biak people during a ceremony]]

There are many traditional dances native to Papua, and each Papuan tribe usually has their own unique traditional dances.

The Yospan dance () is a type of traditional and social association dance originating from the coastal regions of Papua, namely Biak, Yapen, and Waropen; it is often performed by young people as a form of friendship. Initially, the Yospan dance originated from two dances called Yosim and Pancar, which were eventually combined into one—hence, Yospan is an acronym of the words Yosim and Pancar. Female dancers wear woven sarongs to cover their chests, and decorative heads with flowers and bird feathers. Meanwhile, the male dancers would usually wear shorts, open chests, and with heads also decorated with bird feathers. The Pancar dance originating from Biak is only accompanied by a tifa, the traditional musical instrument of the coastal tribes in Papua. The dance of the Sentani is usually performed by (traditional leaders) and the village community to present a gift to other . Valuable items are offered, such as large wild boar, garden products, girls to be married, and other traditional gifts. However, besides being a form of respect for the , the dance is nowadays more of a Sentani performative dance, and a popular attraction at the annual Sentani Lake Festival.

left|thumb|The [[Afaitaneng dance (id), a traditional Papuan war dance performed by the Ambai people from Menawi village and Ambai village in the Yapen Islands]]

Each Papuan tribe usually has its own war dance, one of the oldest forms of Papuan dance. In Papuan culture, these dances are a symbol of Papuan strength and bravery; allegedly, this dance was once a part of traditional ceremonies when fighting other tribes.

right|thumb| ("Long Head") dance, a sacred healing ritual to absorb negative energy of the Draa people from Yaffi District in [[Keerom Regency|Keerom.]]

Another traditional dance common to most Papuan tribes is the musyoh dance, the emergence of which is based on an old myth. In ancient times, when a tribal member died due to an accident or something unexpected, the Papuan people believed that the evil spirit () of the person who died was still roaming and unsettled. To overcome this, the Papuan tribesmen created an exorcism ritual in the form of the musyoh dance, and it is thus often referred to as an exorcism dance. Besides exorcism, the musyoh dance is also used for other purposes, such as welcoming guests, and can be a symbol of respect and gratitude, and an expression of happiness. If being done for exorcism, the musyoh dance is performed by men, but in the case of welcoming guests, it is performed by both men and women. The dancers wear simple costumes, consisting of head coverings, tops, and bottoms, made from processed tree bark and plant roots. These are then adorned with bracelets, necklaces, and body paint on the dancers' bodies.

Architecture

thumb|A kariwari house common in regions around [[Yos Sudarso Bay, depicted at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah theme park in Jakarta]]

The kariwari is one of the traditional Papuan houses, more precisely the traditional house of the Tobati-Enggros people who live around Yotefa Bay and Lake Sentani near Jayapura. Unlike other forms of Papuan traditional houses, such as the round honai, the kariwari is usually constructed in the shape of an octagonal pyramid. Kariwari is usually made of bamboo, ironwood and forest sago leaves. The Kariwari house consists of two floors and three rooms or three rooms, each with different functions. The kariwari is not like a honai that can be lived in by anyone; it cannot even be the residence of a tribal chief, unlike the honai, which has political and legal functions. The kariwari is specifically a place of education and worship; the position of the kariwari in the community of the Tobati-Enggros people is therefore considered sacred and holy.

Rumsram is the traditional house of the Biak Numfor people on the northern coast of Papua. This house was originally intended for men, while women were prohibited from entering or approaching it. Its function is similar to the kariwari, namely as a place for activities in teaching and educating men who are starting to be teenagers, in seeking life experiences. The building is square with a roof in the shape of an upside-down boat because of the background of the Biak Numfor tribe who work as sailors. The materials used are bark for floors, split and chopped water bamboo for walls, while the roof is made of dried sago leaves. The walls are made of sago leaves. The original rumsram wall only had a few windows and its position was at the front and back. A rumsram usually has a height of approximately 6–8 m and is divided into two parts, differentiated by floor levels. The first floor is open and without walls. Only the building columns were visible. In this place, men are educated to learn sculpting, shielding, boat building, and war techniques. In a traditional ceremony called Wor Kapanaknik, which in the Biak language means "to shave a child's hair", a traditional ritual is usually carried out when boys are 6–8 years old. The age when a child is considered to be able to think and the child has started to get an education in the search for life experiences, as well as how to become a strong and responsible man as the head of the family later. The children would then enter a rumsram, hence the rite of passage is also called rumsram, because the ritual is carried out in the rumsram.

Traditional weapons

The cuscus bone skewer is a traditional Papuan weapon used by one of the indigenous Papuan tribes, namely the Bauzi people. The Bauzi people still maintain their tradition of hunting and gathering. The weapon they use to hunt animals while waiting for the harvest to arrive is a piercing tool made of cuscus bones. The use of cuscus bones as a traditional weapon is very environmentally friendly. This happens because, in its manufacture, it does not require the help of industrial equipment that pollutes the environment. This traditional weapon is made from cleaned cuscus bone (before the meat is eaten and separated from the bone), sharpened by rubbing it with a whetstone, and repeated so that the desired sharpness is formed.

Papuan knife blades are usually used for slashing or cutting when hunting animals in the forest. Even though the animals they face are large mammals and crocodiles, the Papuan people still adhere to prevailing customs. The custom is that it is not permissible to use any kind of firearm when hunting. Papuan daggers are knives made of unique materials and are difficult to obtain in other areas, namely the bones of an endemic animal to Papua, the cassowary. Cassowary bones are used by local culture to become a tool that has beneficial values for life. Apart from that, the feathers attached to the blade's handle are also the feathers of the cassowary.

Sentani oars are traditional tools called for males and for females. They are made from swang wood and the bark of sago trees. The wood was split to create flat surface and then shaped like an oar, with the tip made thinner and sharper. It primarily functioned as an oar to propel canoes forward, but under attack from enemies from the seas it can be used as spear because of its sharp tip. Usually oars have ornamental engravings shaped like a finger called to symbolize unity of strength of ten fingers to power the oars.

The triton is a traditional Papuan musical instrument that is played by blowing it. This musical instrument is found throughout the coast, especially in the Biak, Yapen, Waropen and Nabire. Initially, this tool was only used as a means of communication or as a means of calling and signaling. Currently this instrument is also used as a means of entertainment and traditional musical instruments. Sago is either processed as a pancake or sago congee called papeda, usually eaten with yellow soup made from tuna, red snapper or other fishes spiced with turmeric, lime, and other spices. On some coasts and lowlands on Papua, sago is the main ingredient to all the foods.

In the coastal regions, seafood is the main food for the local people. One of the famous seafoods from Papua is fish wrap (Indonesian: ikan bungkus). Wrapped fish in other areas is called pepes ikan. Wrapped fish from Papua is known to be very fragrant. This is because there are additional bay leaves so that the mixture of spices is more fragrant and soaks into the fish meat. The basic ingredient of Papuan wrapped fish is sea fish, the most commonly used fish is milkfish. Milkfish is suitable for "wrap" because it has meat that does not crumble after processing. The spices are sliced or cut into pieces, namely, red and bird's eye chilies, bay leaves, tomatoes, galangal, and lemongrass stalks. While other spices are turmeric, garlic and red, red chilies, coriander, and hazelnut. The spices are first crushed and then mixed or smeared on the fish. The wrapping is in banana leaves.

left|thumb|[[Papeda (food)|Papeda, a notable dish originating from Eastern Indonesia]]

Common Papuan snacks are usually made out of sago. Kue bagea (also called sago cake) is a cake originating from Ternate in North Maluku, although it can also be found in Papua. It has a round shape and creamy color. Bagea has a hard consistency that can be softened in tea or water, to make it easier to chew. It is prepared using sago, a plant-based starch derived from the sago palm or sago cycad. Sagu Lempeng is a typical Papuan snacks that is made in the form of processed sago in the form of plates. Sagu Lempeng are also a favorite for travelers. But it is very difficult to find in places to eat because this bread is a family consumption and is usually eaten immediately after cooking. Making sago plates is as easy as making other breads. Sago is processed by baking it by printing rectangles or rectangles with iron which is ripe like white bread. Initially tasteless, but recently it has begun to vary with sugar to get a sweet taste. It has a tough texture and can be enjoyed by mixing it or dipping it in water to make it softer. Sago porridge is a type of porridge that are found in Papua. This porridge is usually eaten with yellow soup made of mackerel or tuna then seasoned with turmeric and lime. Sago porridge is sometimes also consumed with boiled tubers, such as those from cassava or sweet potato. Vegetable papaya flowers and sautéed kale are often served as side dishes to accompany the sago porridge. In the coastal regions, Sago worms are usually served as a type of snack dish. Sago worms come from sago trunks which are cut and left to rot. The rotting stems cause the worms to come out. The shape of the sago worms varies, ranging from the smallest to the largest size of an adult's thumb. These sago caterpillars are usually eaten alive or cooked beforehand, such as stir-frying, cooking, frying and then skewered. But over time, the people of Papua used to process these sago caterpillars into sago caterpillar satay. To make satay from this sago caterpillar, the method is no different from making satay in general, namely on skewers with a skewer and grilled over hot coals.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Papua is shaped like a five-sided shield, symbolizing vigilance and resilience. The five sides represent the principles of Pancasila, the philosophical foundation of Indonesia.

Inside the shield, there are three monuments standing on a pile of stones arranged in groups of 6 and 9, symbolizing the struggle of Trikora and the Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat held in 1969.

On both sides are rice and cotton, with 7 grains of rice and 8 cotton buds, tied together with a ribbon folded 4 times with 5 tassels. Altogether, these elements represent the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945.

At the top, three snow-capped mountains of equal height are depicted, representing the natural features and identity of Papua Province.