In this digital era, everything is easy to find. This includes daily necessities, clothing, food, and the internet. Unfortunately, this does not apply in West Papua because many tribes live in the interior. However, some of those who live near the city center have partly kept up with the prevailing times. What are the unique facts of Papuan in the era of digitalization? Check this information!
Get to Know the Papuan Population
The land of Papua is divided into two provinces, namely western Papua and Papua. Based on Indonesia’s population projection data published in 2013, the population of Papua is increasing year by year. In addition, Papua also has the highest cultural and biological diversity in all of Indonesia. Even so, the 2016 Papua Central Statistics Agency said that the HDI was low.
This low IPM or Human Development Index results from several aspects. It includes Papuans who have access to health, income, education, etc. IPM itself is built on a long and healthy life, knowledge, and decent standard of living. In West Papua, development is still restricted. That is why many people still quite left behind in the modern era.
Digitization and Papuan Cultural Resilience
Currently the influence of globalization is a serious threat to Papua’s resilience. The reason is that the younger generation of Papua as the successor has followed the development of the times and the influence of modernization. Now, traditional clothing is only used in inland tribes. Most areas in Papua have dressed according to the city’s conditions in general.
For the development of technology, some people are familiar with gadgets and the internet. Not infrequently they use it for the needs of work, education, and entertainment. Just like clothes, only a few tribes in West Papua still maintain the authenticity of their culture. But basically, people who live in cities are more modern and follow the digital era.
To maintain the original culture of Papua there are several ways that are applied. There are two approaches, namely the creative approach and the academic approach. In an academic approach, Papuan art is played as it is to preserve the culture. While in the creative approach, culture will be packaged creatively with modern technology.
These efforts are made to preserve culture and also maintain artistic values in a custom. That is why, the Papuan government often holds a cultural festival every year as a form of preserving Papuan culture which is almost abandoned. The presence of this Papuan cultural festival is also an antidote to the unavoidable global cultural flow.
A cultural festival that is always held every year as a way to introduce culture to the younger generation in West Papua. Through this event, participants from outside were asked to attend to witness the cultural background of Papua. It is an effective way to better appreciate Papuan cultural products and appreciate Papuan social values.
All in all, Papua does have a unique culture because of the traditions that are still attached to the tribes there. The development of the times and the era of digitalization has indeed made some traditions no longer applied. Fortunately, there have been various efforts made to preserve this culture, such as academic approach, creative approach, and the application of cultural festivals.
