goodmorningpapua.com – Papuan traditional clothes is one of the cultural treasures coming from eastern Indonesia. This typical Papuan dress has its own uniqueness and there are differences with various traditional clothes from other provinces in Indonesia. Papuan traditional clothes is usually used in certain events such as traditional events, cultural activities, can also be worn in everyday life.
Koteka
The first Papuan traditional clothing is Koteka. This traditional dress is made from water pumpkin skin. Its seeds removed and then dried and dried in the sun to dry. The drying is required so that the leather can be more durable and long-lasting when it is designed to be made into koteka. Koteka traditional clothing has a characteristic, which is given feathers such as chicken feathers or bird feathers on the bottom of the koteka.
Koteka is usually worn by men and is put on in a way that is wrapped around the user’s waist to protect the male genital area from being seen. The type of Koteka is seen from what activities are carried out by the user. When doing daily activities, the koteka used tends to use short koteka, so that users are free to do their work. Meanwhile, the long koteka is used in formal events such as traditional events or other cultural events.
The waering of the koteka has been restricted since 1964 with the anti-Koteka campaign and forbidding the public to put on the Koteka in public places, for the safety and security of the citizens. However, the wearing of koteka is still a lot in mountainous areas due to lack of education about clothing and maintaining their steadfast tradition.
Brackets
This traditional dress for women is a top dress made of velvet. The clothes is usually worn by Papuan women when doing the traditional events and there are some women who use the brackets when doing their daily activities. This shirt is usually combined and matched using a tassel skirt. The use of bird clothes is usually crowded with accessories worn on the arm, namely bracelets and necklaces made of stone and bone. In addition, to beautify themselves, women also use headgear made of cassowary feathers, thus adding color and being able to create an elegant impression on the wearer.
Tassel Skirt
The tassel skirt is a Papuan traditional dress that is often used with a bracket dress as a top. Tassel skirt is a subordinate made of dried sago leaves and woven in such a way to form a skirt. Usually those who use this tassel skirt are people who live in central mountainous areas or those on the coast.
Tassel skirts can also not only be worn by women, but men can also put on them as a bottom dress when there are traditional events. Sali Sali is a special traditional clothing for single Papuan women. Married women are not allowed to wear it. Sali is made from the dried bark of the sago palm. The bark of the tree also selected must be brown, so that the sali made looks attractive and perfect. Sali has to be made with painstaking, to create a beautiful color.
Yokal
Yokal is a traditional Papuan dress made especially for married women. These clothes can be worn by Papuan mothers in their daily activities. Yokal is made from the bark of a tree which has a striking earth brown color and is made by weaving. The wearing is wrapped around the user to cover the body.
Noken
Noken is a traditional Papuan clothing resembing a sling bag. This Noken is usually used by Papuan women for shopping and carrying goods, as a substitute for plastic. Noken used to by tying the head, but now the noken can be used by slinging the noken on the user’s shoulder.
Noken is not just used by women. Insted of, men can use it. Noken is usually used by the Asmat tribe. Noken has a high selling price and has become a symbol of pride for the Papuan people.
Kasuomer
It s a decoration on the head made of cassowary feathers. Kasuomer is functioned as jewelry to beautify its users. Usually used with a combination of brackets and tassel skirts. Kasuomer is a symbol of crown and majesty for the Papuan people.
Grass Cloth Dress
This shirt is made of sago leaves which are dried and soaked first, then the sago leaves are obtained, then woven into clothes that can be used by both men and women. The weaving process is carried out using one meter of wood to connect the ends of the rope.
After that, the dry grass is twisted together to be used as a rope at the waist and made like a tassel. Pig’s and Dog’s Teeth These teeth are usually used between the nostrils of Papuan men who are about to fight. This tooth is part of the accessories to complete the attributes of Papuan traditional clothing.