goodmorningpapua.com – The carving and Papuan Kamoro tribe dancing are displayed in one of the capital’s shopping centers. It was Senayan Park Mall which held an exhibition themed ‘ Visiting of of Brothers from Eastern Indonesia’ fronted by the Maramowe Weaiku Kamorowe Foundation (MWK). The exhibition will be held from 5-7 November 2021.
The founder of the Maramowe Weaiku Kamorowe Foundation, Luluk Intarti said that the Kamoro Artwork Exhibition was thanks to the collaboration of Yougwa Danau Sentani, Senayan Park Mall, and PT Freeport Indonesia.
“This activity is in order to assits artists in promoting their handicrafts and bring them closer to the public,” Luluk said, Saturday (6/11).
Luluk said that the Papuan cultural exhibition was a continuation of a similar event themed “For you Papua, my brother” at the Urban Forest by Plataran Indonesia on 27-29 October 2021.
In that activity, the Maramowe Weaiku Kamorowe Foundation presented about 250 pieces of carvings with sales reaching 80 percent.
Luluk said that his party brought around 150 types of original-size crafts by Kamoro artists in Mimika Regency, Papua.
“Including eight artists representing more than 500 carvers and weavers living scatteredly in the district,” said Luluk.
During the exhibition, Luluk said, the eight multitalented artists will display various cultural attractions, such as dance performances, singing, traditional music, carving demonstrations, and weaving.
The committee also held a Papuan wood carving workshop on 6-7 November 2021 with three sessions every day for 50 minutes starting at 13.00 WIB.
Luluk revealed that participants can register through the Maramowe Foundation Instagram account and pay a fee of IDR 100,000. Participants who register will have an adventure to become a Kamori carving artist including playing the traditional music and applying makeup.
It is known, the Maramowe Foundation is committed to help Kamoro artists to preserve some aspects of ancestral culture. When the prohibition on the implementation of traditional rituals was imposed by the Dutch government and religious influences in the early to late 19th century, Kamoro carvings lost their meaning, a dark period for the artists.
Thanks to the continuous assistance provided by the Maramowe Foundation with the support of PT Freeport Indonesia for more than two decades, the spirit of carving has re-emerged and the regeneration process has continued well. Even though they are engaged in different business fields, the Maramowe Foundation and Yougwa Danau Sentani have the same vision and mission to introduce and promote Papua.
The Maramowe Foundation and Yougwa Danau Sentani opened up opportunities to work together for helping Kamoro artists bring their craft products closer to the market in Jakarta. The Kamoro, Asmat, and Sempan tribes are three tribes still maintaining the carving culture on the southern coast of Papua with unique artworks.