Exploring the Papua Indonesia map is incomplete if we miss The Tutari megalithic site. It is a tourist area that keeps the cultural history of the people on the banks of the Sentani River in prehistoric times. This site is in a hilly area in Kampung Doyo Lama, Waibu District, Jayapura Regency, Papua.
The Papua Archaeological Center groups the relics at this site into 6 sectors. Sectors 1, 2, and 3 are the locations of the painted stones. During a visit, we first saw this sector. The paintings also differ in their motifs.
Artifacts in West Papua Indonesia Map
There are motifs of humans, half-fish, animals, plants, and cultural objects such as bracelets, stone axes, and geometric motifs such as circles and the sun. Everything is an expression of human knowledge about the natural surroundings at that time. The Meaning of Tutari’s Megalithic Painting Motif is an article from the Papuan Archaeological Journal that describes these themes.
The next relic on the Papua Indonesia map is a statue-shaped stone in sector 4. These pieces of stone are each shaped like a head, neck, and body. “It is also called the ondoafi stone and is four in number. The four stones represent the four warlords ondoafi Uii Marweri who defeated the Tutari tribe, namely Ebe, Pangkatana, Wali, and Yapo,” added Hari.
While the stones lined up are in sector 5, which forms two rows with a longitudinal orientation between the northwest and southwest. It is situated halfway between the standing stone and the painted stone. There is a belief that this row of stones connects the human world to the natural world, where ancestral spirits reside.
While in sector 6, the location of the site is the highest. In prehistoric times, people believed the highest place to be the most sacred or sacred place. “Here, there are 110 standing stones supported by small stones. The stone is oval with various sizes and is believed to be the abode of ancestral spirits,” said Hari
Preserving the Greatest Artifacts of West Papua
Deminaus Marweri, ubuafa (spokesperson) of ondoafi Busainere in Doyo Lama Village, expresses his hope that this site will always maintain. “There needs to be socialization from the government to the public that this site has meaning, has value. It is history, and this civilization has ever happened,” he said.
Traditionally, four tribes from Kampung Doyo Lama are on this Papua Indonesia map. They are in charge of guarding this megalithic site, namely Wali, Pangkatana, Ebe, and Yapo.
“At that time, humans had started farming, grouping, settling, and living together in villages. The ruins of the Tutari Megalithic Site provide insight into its cultural past, according to researcher Hari Suroto from the Papua Archaeological Center.
Eucalyptus Trees, black stones, and weeds filled this location. Between the entrance and the area of the highest site, all three stand on either side of the road. It is also simpler for tourists to explore every property area thanks to the newly constructed road.
Huts are available at specific locations for rest. A few of the cottages have vantage points that look out over Lake Sentani’s vastness. It is called Tutari because it is situated on Tutari Hill. Additionally, the Tutari tribe is rumored to have lived there at one time.
Tutari Tribe and Its Relics
The Tutari people obtain food by hunting, fishing, raising livestock, and growing crops. This location served as a center of worship during that time. Tribal conflicts have wiped off the Tutari tribe entirely.
“The Doyo Lama people who currently live around the site are not the descendants of the Tutari tribe. They believe that some of the Tutari tribe have turned into stone which is now on the site,” said Hari. “The Doyo Lama community believes that this Papua Indonesia map‘s site is sacred; Up until now, the legend surrounding the Tutari tribe and the Doyo Lama community’s forefathers passed down from parent to child.
Relics at this site include painted stones, boulders in the form of statues, lined stones, and menhirs (standing stones). “In Papua and Papua New Guinea (PNG), this model is only here. The area is wide, and the relics can be seen directly,” said Hari.