1. PAPUA1 1x33 counts<\/p>\n
New church greeted with tribal party<\/p>\n
Against the backdrop of mist-shrouded mountains and a new brick
\nchurch, tribesmen in Indonesia's restive Papua province grabbed
\ntheir bows and began firing arrows into more than 100 pigs tied
\nto stakes.<\/p>\n
The dying pigs howled and thrashed madly. A few bloodied
\nbeasts broke free, sending women and children scattering until
\ngroups of men from the warlike Dani tribe brought them down.<\/p>\n
One huge pig made it to the nearby Baliem river. Three youths
\njumped in and kept its head under the water until it drowned.<\/p>\n
All this time, 2,000 villagers danced to mark the opening of a
\nnew Catholic church -- celebrated with a traditional pig feast --
\nkeeping alive the customs of the central highland's Baliem
\nvalley, a lush region hidden from the world until an American
\nexplorer discovered it in 1938.<\/p>\n
Tradition still thrives in Papua, the Indonesian western half
\nof New Guinea island where some tribes only emerged from the
\nStone Age decades ago.<\/p>\n
But those traditions, especially in places such as the Baliem
\nvalley, have had to fight the forces of Christian missionaries,
\ntourism and a government in Jakarta bent on modernization.<\/p>\n
Once, cannibalism was rife. So was tribal warfare. And despite
\nthe cold, Dani men wore nothing but penis gourds, a dried
\nvegetable sheath held in place by a string around the waist.<\/p>\n
The warring among Dani clans and the taking of heads has
\nlargely disappeared, although media recently reported two tribes
\nin this region battled for days over a land dispute, killing
\nthree. Fewer men wear the penis gourds.<\/p>\n
2. PAPUA2 1x35 counts<\/p>\n
Indonesia's troubled Papua fears for future<\/p>\n
It was a typical Sunday in a village not far from the highland
\ntown of Wamena in Indonesia's restive Papua province. Word spread
\nthat police from the feared elite mobile brigade were on their
\nway.<\/p>\n
Villagers, wearing their best clothes at a Mass in a church,
\ndropped their prayer books and fled, said one village elder. Many
\nran for the mountains that ring this mainly Christian region of
\nthe world's most populous Muslim nation.<\/p>\n
The police never came that Sunday a few months ago, but the
\nincident demonstrates the fear of the security forces across the
\ngiant province.<\/p>\n
Following the military's fresh offensive in Aceh province on
\nthe northern tip of Sumatra island, in which more than 800 people
\nhave been killed since May 19, independence and religious leaders
\nworry the country's other separatist hot spot will be next.<\/p>\n
What happens in Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, will say much
\nabout how far Indonesia is prepared to go to keep the archipelago
\ntogether. Foreign investors, eyeing the province's vast natural
\nresources, will be watching in particular.<\/p>\n
Already, Jakarta's plan to split Papua into three provinces
\nhas sparked discontent, and in recent weeks at least four people
\nhave been killed in clashes. That could start a fresh cycle of
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
\"This just showed how scared people are. Villagers are still
\ntraumatized by past military operations,\" said the elder, who
\nasked that neither his name nor that of the village be used.<\/p>\n
Larger in area than Japan, Papua has had an unhappy history
\nsince Indonesia wrested control from former colonial ruler the
\nNetherlands in 1963. The United Nations later sanctioned a vote
\nby hand-picked local representatives that has been called unfair.<\/p>\n
Jakarta says it has brought development to Papua, introducing
\nmodernity to people who only recently have emerged from the Stone
\nAge. The army denies charges of rights abuses.<\/p>\n
But a 10-day trip through this untamed region on the western
\nside of New Guinea island, where some tribesmen wear nothing but
\npenis sheaths, shows many Papuans want independence, having lost
\nfaith in the government of President Megawati Sukarnoputri,
\nespecially since she signed the plan to split Papua in January.<\/p>\n
Intimidation of Jakarta's opponents had grown, some said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/1-papua1-1x33-counts-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }