goodmorningpapua.com – The Amungme tribe mostly live in the highlands of Papua Province. Their homeland is rich in gold ore resources. This abundant produce becomes a target for elite groups to make profits.
Because of their helplessness, the Amungme tribe is increasingly marginalized and isolated from their own land.
The name “Amungme” is derived from the words “amung” which means main and “mee” which means human being. The Amungme tribe mostly inhabits Mimika and Puncak Jaya regencies.
Based on history, the Amungme tribe came from the Baliem Valley as evidenced by the words kurima and hitigima where the ancestors of the Amungme tribe gathered and built houses from reeds. They are fond of farming, farming and hunting to survive.
The Amungme believe that they are the first creatures from the creation of humans. There are three different versions explaining the origin of this tribe. First, the Amungme tribe comes from the ground and then comes out of the mouth of the cave with seeds to grow crops.
Second, the Amungme tribe comes from ancestors who lived under the rule of Menaga Nemungki who did not allow their children and grandchildren to see the outside world.
While the third version says that once upon a time there was a woman giving a stick to her daughter to open a cave so that the Amungme tribe could come out.
Thanks to the Carstensz expedition conducted by Dr. Colijn cs in 1936 the Amungme tribe was able to see the outside world for the first time. Then in 1954, the Amungme were moved to the coast by the Dutch government.
The Amungme tribal conflict arose when the entry of PT. Freeport, which wants to measure gold and added products in the land of the Amungme tribe. For the Amungme tribe, the mountains used for mining are a sacred place for their ancestors.
PT. Freeport signed the mining agreement on the land of the Amungme tribe without the knowledge of the Amungme tribe. When the agreement process took place, the Amungme were only given a sweet promise of a prosperous life.
In fact, now the Amungme tribe has been eliminated and its natural wealth has been completely exploited. The prolonged conflict caused the Amungme tribe to leave their own land.