Preserving ‘Noken’ as an Intangible Cultural Heritage

KOMPAS/FABIO MARIA LOPES COSTA

Planting trees that are used as raw materials for noken handicrafts at the Noken Papua Arboretum, Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Friday (4/12/2020).

Noken is not just a handwoven traditional bag from Papua. It uses wood fibers as the raw material, so the sustainability of this intangible world heritage depends on preserving forests and the natural environment.

In late November 2021, Luis Kasipdana (18) stood next to a tree called husa in the Sentani language. Using a machete, Luis cut off a piece of bark from the husa tree.

He said the bark he had removed would be soaked for three days to separate its outer and inner layers. After that, the bark would be made into thread for weaving into noken, a knotted or woven bag that was native to Papua.

Luis obtained the husa bark from a forest managed by the Hiroshi Nature Lovers Club (CPA), a forest area spanning around 1 hectares at the foot of the Cyclops Mountains in Sentani, Jayapura regency.

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Protecting the Forest Forever

There are several types of trees that can be used as raw material for the production of noken. Besides husa, the bark of the mahkota dewa (Phaleria macrocarpa) and several other tree species can also be used to make noken.

Luis is a member of the Hiroshi CPA who, along with 40 other students, learned how to manage nature, including cultivating trees for the production of noken, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

For Luis, who is currently in his final year of senior high school, the Hiroshi CPA has been a “new school” offering various useful and interesting lessons. Here, he said, he did not have to wear uniform.

“I like to learn new things and like challenges. In this nature school, I have learned to camp, make noken, and other subjects that are not available at school," he said.

Especially regarding noken, he believes that preserving raw materials is the key to prevent the intangible cultural heritage from dying out. By ensuring that the raw materials were available, noken as a cultural product of Papua can be preserved.

"Noken must be preserved so that it does not disappear, because it is native to Papua,” he added.

Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan

Luis Kasipdana (18) stands near a Papuan endemic tree called husa in the Sentani language, in the Hirosi Nature Lovers Club area, Sentani, Papua, Tuesday (30/11/2021).

According to Hiroshi CPA caretaker Aser Mokay the children and youths who had joined Hiroshi CPA Nature School were between 10 and 20 years old. The nature school offered both elementary and higher classes.

Learning to knot

On 4 Dec. 2021, a total of 100 youths took part in a training workshop to weave noken bags from wood fibers at Hiroshi CPA. The participants, all members of Hiroshi CPA Nature School, were students at Sentani 1 state senior high school, Doyo Baru Advent High School, and the Reimay Art Studio.

The workshop was held to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the inclusion of noken on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. On 4 Dec. 2012 in Paris, France, UNESCO formally declared noken from Papua as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

While sitting on the wooden floor of a pavilion, the students enthusiastically participated in the noken-making workshop, led by instructors from Hiroshi CPA Nature School.

This activity is very important for us, the younger generation of indigenous Papuans, to preserve this culture from generation to generation.

“I am very happy because I can [make] noken for the first time. This activity is very important for us, the younger generation of indigenous Papuans, to preserve this culture from generation to generation,” said Charisa Waum, a participant from Doyo Baru Advent High School.

Meanwhile, Delvia Boloi, another participant from Sentani 1 state senior high school, was also grateful for the opportunity to participate in the noken workshop. "The activity at Hiroshi CPA Nature School was my first experience in knotting noken," said Delvia.

Maintaining status

Hiroshi CPA head Marshall Suebu explained that the area where the raw materials for making noken were gathered was called Kotanopi, an acronym of Hutan Koleksi Tanaman Noken Papua untuk Indonesia (Papuan noken plant gathering forest for Indonesia). Kotanopi was established to help provide a sustainable supply of raw materials for noken craftsmen in Jayapura.

KOMPAS/ICHWAN SUSANTO

A number of visitors at the Hiroshi Nature Tourism site in Jayapura Regency, Papua, Tuesday (30/11/2021).

Kotanopi plays an important role in maintaining the status of noken as an intangible cultural heritage, and was established by Hiroshi CPA in 2011.

There are a number of important conditions set by UNESCO to maintain the status of noken as an intangible cultural heritage, such as the existence of a forest for producing the raw materials for noken and training activities that support noken’s preservation for the younger generation.

Marshall said UNESCO almost revoked noken’s status in 2020 because the Indonesian government had made no serious effort to provide a special are to sustain the raw materials for noken production.

Marshall, who is also the coordinator of the Papua Noken Community, said Kotanopi also served as a pilot tree nursery, where seedlings were grown for replanting in other areas. A total of 500 tree seedlings had been planted in Kotanopi.

“The majority of trees planted here are mahkota dewa, also called kleuha. Materials from kleuha are used to produce noken for high-income people in Sentani. There are also five other tree species in Kotanopi, such as genomo and melinjo,” said Marshall.

Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta (BAH)

Noken sellers explain the prices and materials used at the Noken sales center on Jalan Yos Sudarso, Nabire Regency, Papua, Wednesday (28/4/2021).

He hoped that the government would protect the trees that provided the raw material for noken production from the threat of human encroachment, such as the trees that grew in the Cyclops Nature Reserve, which was prone to illegal logging.

"The future of noken conservation could be threatened if the trees that produce the raw materials are cut down," said Marshall.

Craftsmen’s constraints

Noken can be made from two materials, namely bark and nylon cord. Craftsmen in Jayapura usually gather their bark from a number of areas, such as Wamena, Nabire, Paniai, and Dogiyai.

Many craftsmen today, especially in cities such as Timika and Jayapura, make noken from nylon. The high costs of buying bark and shipping it to Jayapura by plane is the biggest challenge for craftsmen.

They bought noken raw materials three times each year.

The head of Noken Ania Studio in Jayapura, Merry Dogopia, said that he and 25 of the studio’s craftsmen could spend at least Rp 5 million to buy a sack of rolled bark from Paniai and Dogiyai. They bought noken raw materials three times each year.

“So far, we have worked independently to buy raw materials for noken, without support from the local administration. When we have difficulty in obtaining the supply of bark, we are forced to use [nylon] thread,” said Merry.

She was happy to learn about Kotanopi in Sentani, which served as a tree nursery for noken raw materials. "I hope we can get raw materials for noken in Jayapura to reduce the operational costs," said Merry.

Titus Pekey, who initiated the promotion of noken to UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in 2011, said that noken were being used by 250 tribes in Papua and West Papua before Dutch colonialism in the 18th century.

Noken plays a very important role in people's lives, especially in the Papuan interior. Noken is like a friend who accompanies the people in their daily activities.

Noken is used to store food, such as sweet potatoes. Noken is also called a “second womb” because it is used to carry babies from birth.

According to Titus, it is estimated that around 100,000 noken craftsmen exist in five customary areas in Papua and West Papua, most of whom sell their noken on the roadside.

"I hope that the local government can empower the craftsmen and prepare a suitable market area so they can continue their work for the preservation of noken in the future," he said.

The head of the Papua Forestry and Environment Office, Yan Ormuseray, hailed Hiroshi CPA's efforts in providing land for the cultivation of trees that could provide noken raw materials. He said that he was ready to support the expansion of the plantation area for producing noken raw materials.

KOMPAS/CORNELIUS HELMY HERLAMBANG

Women in the Arfak Mountains, West Papua, show how to make noken, Saturday (23/2/2019).

He believed that noken activities that involved the millennial generation should be further promoted so many young people could be involved in forest protection. The Papuan Forestry and Environment Office had also prepared a gallery for selling hundreds of non-timber forest products, including noken.

“We have also involved four community groups to plant trees in a buffer area of around 8 hectares in the Cyclops Nature Reserve. One of the trees planted is the genemo, which [provides] the raw material for noken," said Yan.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).