The Kokas Archaeological Site is located in the Kokas District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua. This place found various red handprints painted on the stone walls of cliffs and caves on the seafront. This cultural tourism place in Papua is known as the Coke archaeological site or, by the local community, commonly referred to as Tapurarang. Because the red color of the handprint painting on the cliff resembles the color of human blood, local people also often refer to Tapurarang as a blood handprint painting.
Cultural Tourism Places in Papua, the Tapurarang Archaeological Site, Fakfak
The Tapurarang Archaeological Site, Fakfak, was found on a cliff by the sea. The Tapurarang site is in the form of painting objects in the form of palms, eyes, feet soles of feet, dolphins, lizards, plants, leaves, human faces, and boomerangs. The painting looks ordinary, but it is enough to describe humans and their daily lives.
His painting style is particularly distinctive. These items are sprayed-on in construction. Red and yellow ink are splotches around the edges of each object. Natural dyes were used to make the painting material. Even so, the color is still preserved to this day.
The Kokas Ancient Sites Folklore
The red color in this cliff painting also resembles the color of human blood. Therefore, local people often refer to the picture as a blood handprint painting. For local people, the location of this cliff painting is sacred.
According to local mythology, this painting depicts individuals cursed by the ghost of a deceased granny. She turns into a Kaborbor devil or spirit believed to be the terrifying ruler of the ocean. This grandmother died when an accident that sank the boat she was riding in.
However, they don’t tell many stories to visitors. Because for them, revealing the secrets of the mysteries of ancient times is the same as killing themselves. Let this be sustainable among them alone. There must be a good reason this does not need to be exposed so profoundly.
The uniqueness of this cultural tourism place in Papua, apart from the bloody handprints, is the presence of a lush mangrove forest accompanied by clear water flowing around it, blending with the growth of large, shady trees.
What Can You Enjoy from This Cultural Tourism Place in Papua?
Here too, you can meet hundreds of bird species such as cranes, cockatoos, parrots, and birds of paradise, all living in the wild and not afraid to fly over your head. At the location of this cliff painting, you can also see the skeletons of human bones.
This skeleton is the ancestral skeleton of the Kokas people. In ancient times the people here had a habit of placing the bodies of their deceased ancestors on cliffs, niches, headlands, large trees, and caves in places they considered sacred.
Tourist Attractions of Great Beauty
If you want to visit this cultural tourism place in Papua from Soekarno Hatta Airport, the first destination is Torea Airport. Upon arrival from Torea, you can use taxi services as public transportation to get to Kokas, which is about 50 km from the city.
There is no need to worry because Fakfak is one of the most developed districts in Papua. The road facilities from Fakfak City to Kokas District are paved already. However, some parts of the road have holes and are affected by landslides. However, after leaving the area of Fakfak City, the road passed through the wilderness. It was just a forest and not a single house either.
Arriving at Kokas, the journey still has to be continued using a longboat with a travel time of about 1 hour. Local fishermen own boats that you can use to reach the Tapurarang Site from Kokas. If the water is high, you can go up to the cliff and watch this painting up close. Only from the ship you are riding can you appreciate the magnificence of this rock painting if the water is receding.
With this trip, tourists can enjoy the panorama along the road to Tapurarang. Around the area of the Fakfak Tapurarang Site, there is a mangrove forest with clear water. The cool air will greet you because there are many large shady trees.
Bottom Line
In addition, you can also see a variety of beautiful bird species—for example, birds of paradise, parrots, parrots that fly freely.
Moreover, this strait area is considered similar to Raja Ampat, Sorong. Because there are many clusters of coral islands in the strait, scattered red handprints are in these clusters of islands. After arriving here, you must pay for the guide, while the entrance fee to this cultural tourism place in Papua is free.
Because there are no adequate facilities and accommodations around this tourist location, those who want to stay overnight must return to Fakfak City. In this city, you can find hotels and restaurants ready to meet your needs.
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