Papuans

Last updated
Papuans
  • Papwa
  • Papua
Regions with significant populations
Eastern Indonesia 3,916,242 [1]
Languages
Native:
Also:
Religion
Predominantly:
  • Tribal animism

Also:
Related ethnic groups

According to the official Indonesian law, [2] the Papuans, [2] indigenous Papuans, [2] or native Papuans (the plural anglicisation of Papua or Papwa) are the common native-derived internationalized endonym in Indonesian English for indigenous people of New Guinea residing in the Indonesian part of the Papua island (as opposed to “New Guineans” term coined by the British colonizers). They are closely related to Melanesians and Oceanians (and to some extent, the Australian Aboriginals), who natively inhabited the Eastern Indonesian provinces of Central Papua, Highland Papua, Southwest Papua, West Papua, South Papua, and Papua in Indonesia (which historically part of the larger Sahul palaeocontinent). The Noken , a traditional knotted or woven bag, an invention of Papuan people, is internationally inscribed as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Papuans natively speak numerous Papuan languages, each with its distinctive and unique linguistic features that are only can be found on the land.

Contents

The Papuans are one of the peoples of Indonesia that are protected under the national law by the government of Indonesia, to ensure their stability in economic and development. [2]

Terminology

Papuans, Kiwis, and Aboriginals

Multiple terms have been proposed to describe the native inhabitants of Eastern Indonesia. However, the “Papuans” is the preferred term (especially in Indonesian English), since it is based on actual native nomenclature used by the Native Indonesians as recorded in several ancient native evidences. Its counterparts, such as Melanesians and Oceanians , are also the proposed terms, commonly but not usually overlapping to one another, but its usage limited to and popularized exclusively around the Australia and New Zealand regions (in Australian and New Zealand English terminology). In a sense, the “Papuans” term usage in Indonesian English is similar to “Kiwis” usage in New Zealand English and “Aboriginal Australians” in Australian English.

Ethnic groups

The Papuans grouped into numerous ethnicities, they possess various cultures and traditions. They are originally tribal community, shared different customs to one another, living in different isolated areas within the region.

Languages

According to the official Indonesian national linguistic data, there are at least 428 living Papuan languages (and 37 Papua-based isolate languages) natively spoken by the Papuans in Indonesia alone, [3] making it the most linguistically diverse community in Indonesia. The Papuan languages also spoken beyond its native homeland, such as on Timor Island (which might include the territory of Timor Leste), where sizeable Indonesian Papuan diaspora could be found in the region.

The “Papuan languages” is the native-derived term of Indonesia-origin that unified languages of the Papuans in Indonesia, numerous linguistic study and evidences was thoroughly observed to determine the classification. Meanwhile, on the other hand, the linguistic family that connects between the Papuan languages of Indonesia and New Guinean languages of Papua New Guinea has been proposed by non-Papuan linguists (mainly by the British colonizers), known as the Trans–New Guinea languages, although the classification is rather controvesial and lacks in direct evidences.

Notable people

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See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Central Bureau of Indonesia Statistics, 2020
  2. 1 2 3 4 "House: Papua Special Autonomy Law Gives More Authority to Papuans". Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia. 2021.
  3. "Risiko Kepunahan Bahasa Daerah Papua Meningkat, Kemendikbudristek Dorong Revitalisasi" [The Risk of Papuan Languages Extinction is Rising, the Indonesian Ministry of Education-Research-and Technology Supports the Revitalization] (in Indonesian). Ministry of Education, Research and Technology of Indonesia. 2022.