The Free Papua Movement or Free Papua Organization is a name given to an independence movement based on Western New Guinea, seeking secession of the territory currently under Indonesian administration. The territory is currently divided into six Indonesian provinces of Central Papua, Highland Papua, Papua, South Papua, Southwest Papua, and West Papua, also formerly known as Papua, Irian Jaya and West Irian.
The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by the interplay of indigenous customs and diverse foreign influences. With over 1,300 distinct ethnic groups, including significant Austronesian and Melanesian cultures, contributing to its rich traditions, languages, and customs, Indonesia is a melting pot of diversity. Positioned along ancient trade routes between the Far East, South Asia, and the Middle East, the country has absorbed cultural practices influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity. These influences have created a complex cultural tapestry that often differs from the original indigenous cultures.
Songket or sungkit is a tenun fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft (latitudinal) threads in a technique called supplementary weft weaving technique.
Wamena, also known as the District of Wamena, is a large town in the Western New Guinea region of Indonesia. It also serves as the seat of Jayawijaya Regency. It is the largest town in the province of Highland Papua, located in the Baliem Valley and had a population of 64,967 in the 2020 Census; the official estimate in mid 2023 was 66,080. Wamena is the urban centre of a rural area housing Highland Papua's highest concentration of population, with over 300,000 people inhabiting the Baliem Valley and surrounding areas. These people belong to several related ethnic groups, the most prominent of which are the Dani, Lani, and Yali.
Puncak Jaya Regency is one of the regencies (kabupaten) in the Indonesian province of Central Papua. It is an inland highland regency, lying directly east of Paniai Regency and west of Jayawijaya Regency and Tolikara Regency. As of 2004, it was reported that these four regencies had a population that is 93–97% ethnic Papua; however this included areas which have subsequently been formed into new regencies.
Jayawijaya Regency is one of the regencies (kabupaten) in the Indonesian province of Highland Papua. It occupies an area of 13,925.31 km2 in the Baliem Valley, situated in the central highlands of the province. It had a population of 196,085 at the 2010 Census, and 269,553 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 282,497. Its regency seat is the town of Wamena.
Buchtar Tabuni is a Papuan independence activist, Chairman of the National Parliament of West Papua (PNWP), incorporating the National Committee for West Papua, and United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) representative.
Mako Tabuni was a Papua New Guinea activist for Papuan interests, and the deputy chairman of the National Committee for West Papua.
Yusak Pakage is an Indonesian activist for Papuan independence, best known for his 2005–2010 imprisonment for raising the pro-independence Morning Star flag.
General elections were held in Indonesia on 17 April 2019. For the first time in the country's history, the president, the vice president, members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and members of local legislative bodies were elected on the same day with over 190 million eligible voters. Sixteen parties participated in the elections nationally, including four new parties.
The 2018 Papua gubernatorial election took place in Papua, Indonesia on 27 June 2018 as part of the simultaneous local elections. It was held to elect the governor of Papua along with their deputy, whilst members of the provincial council will be re-elected in 2019.
Yohana Susana Yembise is an Indonesian academic and politician who served as Indonesia's Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection in Joko Widodo's Working Cabinet.
Kenyam is a town and district in Nduga Regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia. It is the capital of the regency. Its population as at mid 2022 was 6,394.
General elections were held in Indonesia on 14 February 2024 to elect the president, vice president, and People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which consists of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), and members of local legislative bodies (DPRD) at the provincial and city/regency levels. The newly elected members of the MPR will be sworn in on 1 October 2024, while the elected president and vice president will be sworn in on 20 October 2024. Incumbent President Joko Widodo was ineligible to run for a third term due to limitations established by the Indonesian constitution.
Dandhy Dwi Laksono is an Indonesian activist, investigative journalist, and filmmaker. He is known for the 2019 documentary film Sexy Killers, released prior to the 2019 Indonesian general election, which documented the collusion between the political establishment and the coal mining industry which is responsible for the environmental destruction. Dandhy was arrested in September 2019 for making tweets about violence by the state apparatus in the Indonesian Papua. The arrest was heavily criticized by the human rights groups.
Highland Papua is a province of Indonesia, which roughly follows the borders of Papuan customary region of Lano-Pago, shortened to La Pago. It covers an area of 51,213.33 km2 (19,773.58 sq mi) and had a population of 1,448,360 according to the official estimates as at mid 2023.
Southwest Papua is the 38th province of Indonesia to be created, and was split off from West Papua on 8 December 2022. Despite being named southwest, it is a misnomer and this province is actually located in the northwest edge of Papua. The province comprises the Greater Sorong area which consists of Sorong City, Sorong Regency, South Sorong Regency, Maybrat Regency, Tambrauw Regency, and Raja Ampat Regency. The Bill (RUU) on the Establishment of the Southwest Papua Province was passed into law and therefore it became the 38th province in Indonesia with effect from 8 December 2022.
The 2024 Highland Papua gubernatorial election will be held on 27 November 2024 as part of nationwide local elections to elect the governor of Highland Papua for a five-year term. The election will be the first election for the province since its formation in 2022.
The noken system, or ikat system, refers to voting practices used in parts of Indonesia's Western New Guinea (Papua) that deviate from standard national electoral practices. The name refers to noken bags, which are widely used in the region and hold cultural value. In areas that use the noken system, voting is carried out by communities, either through public agreement on vote allocation or through the delegation of votes to a tribal leader. There is no law establishing noken voting, but its use has been approved by the Constitutional Court of Indonesia as an expression of customary practices.
