Social Situation

Have long since the end of the northwest coast of Irian and the whole north of the population affected by the population of the Maluku islands (Ambon, Ternate, Tidore, Seram and Key), it is not surprising that when the tribes along the coastal area of the nation (Fak-Fak, Sorong, Manokwari and Cenderawasih Bay) more reasonable classified as Ras from the Ras Melanesian Papua. Zending or mission of the German Protestant Christians (Ottow & Geissler) arrived on the island Mansinam Manokwari 5 February 1855 to further spread the teachings of religion along the northern coastal area of Irian. On 5 February 1935, there were more than 50,000 people profess Christian Protestant. Then in 1898 the Dutch Government to open the first post in the Fak-Fak and Manokwari and proceed with a government post in Merauke in the year 1902. Merauke activity of religious Catholic mission in general, and started along the southern coast of Irian. In the year 1933 there were as many as 7100 people embraces religious Catholic. Most of the basic education held by the religious mission, the school where teachers and religious teachers generally come from Eastern Indonesia (Ambon, Ternate, Tidore, Seram, Key, Manado, Sanger-Talaud, and Timor), where lessons are given in Malay. The division of the two religious groups are seemingly identical with the situation in Holland where Protestant Christians in the north and Christians in the Catholic South.

Education gets a large quota of the government budget in the Netherlands, in recent years the period of occupation, the education budget is to reach 11% of all 1961. But education is not tailored to the needs of labor disektor a modern economy, and that is more priority values and Christian Netherlands. At the end of the 1961 plan of education is directed to the increase in business skills, but more priority to education and spiritual progress of society. Although the language "Malay" language used as "Franca" (Lingua Franca), the Dutch still taught as a compulsory language from primary schools, language, English, German and French is the second language taught in that school.

In the 1950s basic education continues to be done by both the religious mission. Noted that in 1961 there were 496 schools with the mission without a subsidy of approximately 20,000 students. Primary School subsidies that as many as 776 the number of students in 1961 was approximately 45,000 students, and by the whole mission, and religious subjects are compulsory subjects in this case. In 1961 there were 1000 students studying in secondary schools, 95 people Irian abroad, namely the Netherlands, Port Moresby, and Australia where there is a university entrance and enter the School of Agriculture and the School Health Nurse (for example, the Netherlands National Institute for Tropica Agriculture and Papua Medical College in Port Moresby).

Although the Netherlands have issued a large budget for the West Irian wake up, but the relationship between city and village or villages remain limited. Relations sea and carried out by foreign companies Koninklijk Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM), which connects the cities Hollandia, Biak, Manokwari, Sorong, Fak-Fak and Merauke, Singapore, the Netherlands. There are small boats belonging to the government for the tasks of the government. Netherlands also opened 17 offices and POS telecommunications service between the cities. There is a radio device that can contact the Hollandia-Amsterdam via Biak, there is also the city ditiap phone. There are airline Nederland Nieuw Guinea Luchvaart Maatschappij (NNGLM), which performs aviation-flight regularly between Hollandia, Biak, Manokwari, Sorong, Merauke, Jayawijaya and the plane, a DC-3, followed by airline Kroonduif and Koniklijk Luchvaart Maatschappij (KLM) for the flight abroad of Biak. Already since 1950 Biak airfield into the International field. In addition to these flights, there are also flights organized by the Protestant mission called Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and the flight was organized by the Catholic mission named Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) and the flight to the post-post penginjilan in the hinterland. Travel around the city there are large in the Hollandia 140 km, 135 km Biak, Manokwari, 105 km, 120 km Sorong, Fak-Fak 5 km and 70 km Merauke.

About the culture or community culture in the West Irian diverse it can be said, some tribes have a culture of high and imposing the tribes in the South Coast of Irian who is now better known as the tribe "ASMAT" ethnic group is famous for the grandeur of carved and dance. Irian culture that is diverse can be marked by the number of local languages, especially in West Irian. Based on the results of research from the husband-wife Barr's Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) in 1978 have 224 local languages in West Irian, where the number will continue to increase because the research is still carried out. The language of the West Irian classified into groups and Melanesian languages classified into 31 groups of languages, namely:
Tobati, Kuime, Sewan, Kauwerawet, Pauwi, Ambai, Turu, Wondama, Roon, Hatam, Arfak, Karon, Kapaur, Waoisiran, Mimika, Kapauku, Moni, Ingkipulu, Pesechem, Teliformin, Awin, Mandobo, Auyu, Sohur, Boazi, Klader, Komoron, Jap, Marind-Anim, Jenan, and Serki. Number of language above is vary from tens of tens of thousands of people to people.

Traditionally, type residential community West Irian can be divided into 4 groups where each type of life style have socio-economic and cultural articles.

1.
Population coastal beaches;
Population is the main livelihood as a fisherman while gardening and sago meramu that compliance with the settlement environment. Communication with the outside of the city and the community is not foreign to them.
2.
Rural population who inhabit the low;
They include peramu sago, gardening, fishing disungai, dihuta hunt around the neighborhood. They were happy to roam in small groups. They have that inhabit dry land and the people there and brackish swamps and along the river. Customs strict and they always suspect newcomers.
3.
The people who inhabit mountain valley;
They were farming in the planting, and keep the pig as the main livestock, sometimes they hunt and cite the results of the forest. Pattern pemukimannya remain in groups, with the friendly when compared with the second type (2). Customs run closely with the "Pig Party" as simbolnya. Hold tight and keep the promise. Revenge is an action heroism in seeking social harmony through "The War" that can be as diibaratkan rivalry or competition. The nature tehadap suspicious of foreigners but have not seketat of type 2 (the second).
4.
The people who inhabit mountain slopes, mountain slopes;
Pemukimannya place to see the remains on the slopes, mountain slopes, giving the impression that they occupy a strategic place to reach as early as possible where the enemy is always detect any living creatures that approached pemukimannya. Their customs are very strict, some are still "KANIBAL" until now, and suicide is a laudable action violated customary when will avoid a disaster because of the whole group of people. War is an event for the ethnic balance of social search, and suspicious of foreigners is also quite high.

In many cultures of the population Irian have a movement that psychotherapy with a popular term often called cargo cults. There is a movement of cargo is the oldest in the Irian Jaya in 1861 and going on in Biak called "KORERI". Current or movement of cargo last year in the years 1959 to 1962 in Gakokebo-Enarotali (Paniai district) called "WERE / WEGE" as has been raised that the movement of the politically motivated.

In the Netherlands meniggalkan West Irian, positions both in government, development (office-office) as both leaders and leaders of the son of middle submitted regions (the Papua / West Irian) according to their ability. Also, all home and property, including buildings and land owned by the Dutch that they submitted to the people of Papua kenalan (parlormaid colleague and friend) to have, because they can not sell and no buyers at that time.

Netherlands also leave excess conflicts between tribes as a result of major political events that is a conflict between "Elite Pro-Papua" and "Elite Pro-Indonesia" is marked with a conflict between "The Biak opponent Serui Tribe, Tribal land-Jayapura opponent Red Tribe Serui, "although in this case not everyone is pro-Biak Papua, not all people Serui the pro-India and not all the Land of the Red-Jayapura Papua pro-and pro-Indonesia.

Based on experience in the Netherlands Indies, Indonesia or independence in the Netherlands in 1945, the Dutch in the West Irian traverse very carefully to improve the life of people in various fields, and the Netherlands deliberately slow the growth in West Irian / Nieuw Guinea in accordance with the needs of people and request the West Irian. Say that it is a form of "Etis New-Style Politics." Including efforts to establish "Nasionalisme Papua." Dutch way that causes people Irian Jaya does not feel that their occupation because they are living in a situation of an economy that is good and does not feel the pain and pressure from the Netherlands.

from:geocities