Barter Market Unites
Local people in the coastal areas go to the market on a "Johnson" boat – as local fishermen call an outboard motorboat – carrying the catch of fishermen.
Bartering or exchanging goods between residents at the Mambunibuni Market in the Kokas District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua, Saturday (19/6/2021).
Mountain people produce vegetables and need fish. The beach people catch fish and need vegetables. They maintain brotherhood by providing the best productions to each other in the Mambunibuni barter market.
Local people in Fakfak regency, West Papua, have a unique event to maintain family relations between the people who live in mountains and coastal areas. Through the exchange of the produce on Mambunibuni market, the people complete each other's needs while keeping the beauty of companionship.
Mambunibuni Market, which is open every Saturday, is located between the valley and river upstream in the Kokas district, Fakfak. Its location is 60 kilometers from the city center of Fakfak. The market can be reached by crossing the river / sea or by land.
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Local people in the coastal areas go to the market on a "Johnson" boat – as local fishermen call an outboard motorboat – carrying the catch of fishermen. Using the boat, on the third Saturday in June 2021, the Papua Kompas expedition team headed to Mambunibuni Market from the residents' house where they were staying in Kampung Masina, Kokas. The journey took about 45 minutes along the beach, which was then bright and the sea was shady.
When the sky was still dark on the day, Ghani Taruma, 70, was already departing from his residence in Kampung Darembang, Kokas district. His journey took two hours by a simple boat.
On his boat, he brought fishermen's catch, such as Sembilang fish, Manggang fish and sea snails. At around 7 a.m., he arrived at the market. He immediately looked for a strategic place to sell the fish.
There were also fresh fish and salted fish. All fish brought to the market was the results of his catch.
Ghani then displayed the fish above the tarpaulin. The fish was counted and tied using rubber bracelet, then arranged. Some fish were already cooked in an asar (smoked) way. There were also fresh fish and salted fish. All fish brought to the market was the results of his catch.
"I caught the fish using a net. After being caught, the fish were cooked by smoking. On Saturday they were brought here to be bartered. On other days I did not sell, only Saturday," he said.
Ghani has been selling for decades in the barter market in accordance with ancestral tradition. Nearby, other traders also brought agriculture produce. Those who live in the coastal areas carried various types of fish. While local residents living in the mountains bought produce from farms, such as bananas, vegetables, keladi (tubers), betel and areca nuts.
The residents unload smoked fish from boats to sell at Mambunibuni Market in Kokas District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua, Saturday (19/6/2021).
At exactly 9 a.m., Phillipus Muri, the head of the market, who was trusted as a commander, gave the sign of the start of bartering in the local language. "Pheh Rangge!" he shouted as he raised his wand. It means, "Get ready to start bartering!"
Without the sign, no one dared start the barter process. Once the sign was sounded, the market that was noisy changed to silence because everyone concentrated on the barter activities.
Quickly, a bunch of bananas was exchanged for smoked fish. There were also those who exchanged keladi with fresh fish or other farm produce with seafood. There was no certainty about the quality and quantity of the produce that was exchanged. All depended on the deal with the traders. They measured the condition of the goods they wanted to exchange by themselves.
Ghani looked at his tarpaulin. In less than an hour, the catch had changed hands. Now his tarpaulin was filled with vegetables and bananas. He smiled at all the items that sold well. "Later the bananas will be for my own consumption, or if it is still the rest, I will sell them in the village," he said.
The best produce
Nurbaya Taruma, 45, said there were no written rules regarding the type or amount of the produce to be exchanged. However, traders already know only the best results that can be exchanged. In addition, smoked fish must be exchanged for vegetables.
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The barter market in Wulandoni, Lembata Regency before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nurbaya explained, in ancient times the coastal community brought smoke fish to villages in the mountains so that their brothers could enjoy seafood. On the way to the mountain area, they would refuse if anyone wanted to buy smoked fish in cash. Other fresh fish could be sold in cash because this type of fish was quickly damaged or putrefied.
"Smoked fish are durable. If sold on the way, later the brothers on the mountain cannot eat fish. So it shouldn't be sold, it must be exchanged for vegetables," Nurbaya said.
The tradition is still ongoing, even though nowadays fishermen no longer go to the mountain to exchange their catches. Now there is a barter market that is a meeting point for local communities from mountainous and coastal areas. Since the barter market is strategically located in the middle, both the mountain and beach communities are happy to come here.
In return, he got three smoked fish and two plastic bags of shellfish.
Fani Tigtigweria, 27, a resident of Mandoni village, sells the produce of her farmland at Mambunibuni Market. At that time, Fani only took three bunches of spinach and two banana bunches to be bartered. In return, he got three smoked fish and two plastic bags of shellfish.
"That's why I have to ask the prices in advance, whether they are suitable, before starting to exchange," Fani said.
Fani explained, the prices of fish brought by fishermen varied, starting from Rp 10,000 to Rp 20,000. Therefore, to exchange Fani’s bananas, which were worth Rp 20,000, for example, the fruit should not be exchanged with fish that costs Rp 10,000.
"If I have good farm produce, it must be exchanged for a good fish catch. So, there is an accurate value, before agreeing to exchange," said Fani.
Phillipus Muri said, on the Onim peninsula, which formed a region in Fakfak regency, the barter market is usually called Gona or Pheh. In the past, there were several barter market locations, such as in Kayuni village with a six-day cycle (long market) and in the Pikpik Pertuanan area that had a five-day cycle (short market).
However, the two markets are now closed because there used to be a conflict. The market was then transferred to Mambunibuni. This market has existed since the 1990s, but the barter system used has been going on for hundreds of years. The barter tradition appears, according to Phillipus, because basically every human lives to complement each other.
"Like you are like this, it's impossible to go find fish. So people who live on the coastal areas, at sea, come bringing fish, kitong (we) come from mountain carrying mountain products. The results of fishermen are exchanged for the results of the farms, so complement each other," he said.
Barter activities are usually done at 9 a.m. Before the agreed time, there should be no one starting to exchange.
According to Phillipus, this is done to maintain order and to respect each other. The barter system, according to him, is very good for the people of Fakfak because this means that the communities exchange or complement in everyday life.
Pertuanan Wertuar king, Musa NP Heremba, said, even though the buying and selling system had developed using cash, the exchanging activity of the produce with the barter system still survives in Fakfak. According to him, there are things that cannot be replaced with money, namely meetings between mountain and coastal humans.
"They still maintain a barter system to meet each other. They meet to revive each other," he said.
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Al Yassin Mosque in Patimburak Village, Kokas District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua, Saturday (19/6/2021). This mosque was built by King Pertuanan Wertuar in 1870. Its architecture combines the shape of a mosque and a church.
Moses explained, since the previous times, there has been no basic rules for the type or volume of goods to be exchanged. All traders measured the value of the farm products and everyday life needs. With this size, they determine the value of goods. The exchange process is running on the principle of kinship and trusting each other.
"There is no coercion. The principle is to barter with each other to be equally happy," he said.
With this unique trading system, according to Moses, the barter market can be developed and used as a tourist attraction. However, to develop it needs a process that is not easy due to the remote location and access to the market which is quite challenging.
According to Fakfak Regent Untung Tamsil, the barter market in Mambunibuni is a very interesting phenomenon of society. The barter market exists to maintain family relations on the mountain and in the coastal areas.
"This system must be maintained and preserved because this is a good phenomenon to maintain friendship," he said.
(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).
