Indigenous people marginalized at Wasur National Park

R. Kristiawan, Contributor, Merauke, South Papua

Wasur National Park is essential for the well-being of Merauke, South Papua.

Located 13 kilometers from the city, Rawa Biru, the 10,400 (checking units) area of open water in the center of the park is also a water source of the city's people. The national park is very rich in terms of biodiversity.

Melaleuca eucalyptus, savanna, mangrove and lowland forest can be seen. In the park, 390 animal species, including 80 mammal species, are to be found. Tribes numbering some 2,550 people live in 14 villages. They have existed for hundreds of years in the park, surviving on simple planting and hunting.

Demographic changes in Merauke have endangered their livelihoods, as modern hunting and illegal logging pose a threat to Papua's richest park in term of biodiversity.

The park is very beautiful indeed. After turning left from the Merauke road, a very rich lowland forest can be seen. Eucalyptus trees stand tall everywhere. Many bird species, like cockatoos and parrots screech loudly.

Between the bushes, white ants build their mounds from soil. Unlike Javanese white ants, which live underground, the white ants of Wasur build their nests like towers. They can reach four meters in height. You can find the same thing in Australia.

There are many animal species in the park, including birds, deer, kangaroos, wild pigs and reptiles. Lying east of the Wallace Line, Papua has no tigers. The main predators in the ecosystem are eagles, crocodiles, snakes and humans.

The tribes usually hunt deer, kangaroos and wild boars to satisfy their protein needs. Present-day economic realities mean they also now sell the animals since they are the only products with a high value that they have to trade.

The local tribes hunt using sustainable methods. At certain times, people are forbidden from hunting in specified areas. Poles, to which coconut leaves are tied, signify forbidden areas.

The system, known as sasi, is aimed at providing an opportunity for animals to breed. The system has proved itself capable of saving animals from extinction.

The demographic situation in the area has changed rapidly. The New Order government's transmigration policy has created a new demographic structure, in which Papuans are in the minority in Merauke now.

Javanese are in the majority (40 percent), followed by Makassarese (20 percent), and the Manadonese, Maduranese, Acehnese and Chinese (10 percent). The indigenous peoples of Merauke account for only 30 percent of the population. The total population of Merauke is around 100,000 people.

There are no significant ethnic conflicts in Merauke. But the influx has had serious consequences for the sustainability of the Wasur National Park. Non-indigenous people have adopted new hunting methods. They employ modern weaponry, not just bows and arrows as the indigenous people used.

According to many sources, modern hunters obtain their weapons and ammunition illegally, sometimes even from the police. They usually ignore the sasi system. They also ignore hunting quotas.

As a result, there has been a significant decrease in the animal population.

Kristianus Dimar, 70, a leader of the Kanume tribe, said that it was now very difficult to obtain kangaroo, deer or wild boar. "It was once very easy for a group of hunters to get five animals; now it is difficult even to get one," he said.

The tribes usually consume the meat or sell it in the market. They make Rp 10,000 for a kilogram of kangaroo meat, and Rp 15,000 for a kilo of deer meat.

They use the money to buy rice, sugar, coffee and soap. They need Rp 400.000 to cover the monthly cost of living of a family. When there were no modern hunters, they could live easily. But now it is hard for them to make money. They also have to eat more rubber than meat, since meat is very hard to get.

For their carbohydrate intake, they consume rubber (checking) and sago flour. But the damage caused to the forest has left sago difficult to find. "I feel full when I eat sago. I don't feel that way when I eat rice," said Kristianus.

He and the members of his tribe are unable to do much to stop the illegal modern hunting methods as they have only bows and arrows while the hunters have automatic weapons. For large predators, modern hunting has also resulted in a lack of prey.

Besides ecological damage, modern hunting also threatens the lives of the indigenous people. Simple agriculture and hunting are the only skills they have. Such skills have sustained them for hundreds of years without modern intervention.

The modern economic system has marginalized them since the things they have to sell have a low value. The animals they hunt have, thus far, been the most expensive products they have to sell. Besides hunting, they also make money by selling forest products like papaya, oranges and candlenuts.

Most local adults are elementary school graduates. Their relative lack of education leaves them unable to join the modern bureaucracy.

They are smart and their grammatical skills in Bahasa Indonesia are very good, much better than those of many Javanese villagers. But so-called modernization in many aspects of their lives leaves them marginalized.

From being hunter-gatherers, they have been forced to leave their homes and try to find their way within the world of trade and industry.

This is gross injustice, as Mgr. Nicolaus Adi Seputra MSC, the Archbishop of Merauke, notes. Modernization represents a point of no return, and this has greatly prejudiced the Wasur people.

Protection and appreciation for the local culture and ecology would be an appropriate way of liberating the Wasur people in their own homeland.

The writer is a researcher with the SET Foundation and lecturer at Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta