Timika is a region in the province of Central Papua, the capital of Mimika Regency. The Papua Timika region orientation is industry and services because there are various national-scale companies.
Indigenous Tribe of Papua Timika
Seven tribes inhabit in Timika region are the natives and kinship. Two of them, the Amungme and the Kamoro, are native tribes.
Before becoming Mimika Regency, the Kamoro tribe was called in Merauke’s native language, Anim Kamoro.
Apart from these two tribes, there are five kinship tribes. The five tribes are the Dani (Lani), Damal, Mee, Nduga, and Moni.
History and Geographic Conditions
Initially, Mimika Regency was part of Fakfak Regency, which consisted of only three districts (Agimuga District, West Mimika District, and East Mimika District).
The year of 1999 is the forming of Central Irian Jaya. Since then, Mimika Regency has become a definitive district.
The anniversary of the Mimika district was agreed upon on October 8, 1996. The date is according to the minutes of appointment for the Mimika district regent.
The capital of Mimika Regency is located in Timika City and has 18 Districts. The districts are spread out within cities, mountains and coasts.
The town has five districts: Mimika Baru District, Kuala Kencana, Wania, Iwaka, and Kwamki Narama.
The districts in the mountains are the Tembagapura District, Jila District, Agimuga District, Alama District and Hoya District.
The other eight are East Mimika, Middle East Mimika, Far East Mimika, West Mimika, Central West Mimika, Far West Mimika, Jita and Amar Districts.
Characteristics of Papua Timika
Each place must have unique characteristics and is rarely found in other regions. Likewise, the unique thing we can find in Timika.
1. Sago
The staple food for people in this region is sago. They have sago hamlets in every village, so for them, sago is a food permanently attached to people’s lives.
2. Wooden Boat
Canoes or traditional boats are one of the means of transportation used by the community to find fish, snails and karaka in the river. Not only that but the canoe is also used as a place to store food.
3. Hunting and Gathering Culture
Almost in the southern coastal region of Papua, the people are concocting to make a living daily. They look for sago, fish and animals and mix what is around their respective customary areas.
The community built temporary houses on the banks of the river. Together with his family will sleep in that place, looking for fish and sago to eat.
Afterwards, they would return, take them, and sell them in the market.
4. Engraving
In the villages, natives still maintain the carving culture. Papua Timika has carried out carving skills for generations.
They are good at making carvings on trees, starting from carvings in the form of humans, boats, fish and carvings that symbolize the daily life of the Kamoro tribe.
The Mbitoro statue is one of the unique carvings of the Kamoro people.
This statue was carved by the community and is unique and a separate symbol for the Kamoro people. The Mbitoro statue is a symbol in government offices, churches and other places in Mimika Regency.
5. Traditional Dances and Clothing
There is a type of dance played by almost every client or clan in each village. However, there are traditional dances at parties that clients or other families cannot play.
One of them is Yari Ipuya. This dance perform to pick up guests of honour or state guests.
The Kamoro tribe traditionally perform the Ipuya dance to pick up officials from within and outside Papua to Mimika.
The dance is always in harmony with traditional clothing. In this region, people gives many names for conventional clothing. Women’s traditional clothing is Tauri and Paiti Taa.
Meanwhile, the men’s traditional Papua Timika clothing have more names.
Those are Tapena or Red Loincloth, Atayii or Cassowary Feather, Yaomoko, Bird of Paradise Reed, Mbakare, Geing Tangan, Mbakare Mbau Taa or Punya Laki.