goodmorningpapua.com – The five-yearly Congress of Traditional Peoples of the Archipelago (KMAN) is going to be held again on 24-30 October 2022 in the Tabi Customary Area, Jayapura, Papua. The sixth AMAN congress is going to be carried out on the shores of Lake Sentani and going to be attended by around ten thousand traditional peoples in Indonesia and around a hundred of them are representatives of indigenous peoples from abroad.
“This congress will reflect on what we will do in the next five years. We will formulate their attitudes and views, consolidate the Indigenous Peoples movement, conduct dialogue, and establish organizational mechanisms,” said a Secretary General of the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN) Rukka Rukka Sombolinggi during a press conference in Jakarta yesterday. In the next congress, indigenous peoples will deliberate to formulate attitudes and views, consolidate movements, have dialogue, and formulate and determine organizational mechanisms.
Rukka said that the theme of the congress was Unite to Restore Sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples to Maintain Indonesia’s Diverse and Resilient National Identity in Facing Crisis. Recovery is the key word that emphasizes the issue of Indigenous Peoples, while sovereignty is the binder for the attachment of indigenous peoples’ rights as well as a condition for Indonesia to maintain diversity and resilience to face any crisis.
The chairman of the KMAN VI Committee and the Regent of Jayapura Mathius Awoitauw said that the congress would be a beautiful rainbow in the Tabi Customary Territory as the host. “We must unite and be united because this is an extraordinary gift for indigenous peoples. We will welcome our brothers and sisters,” he said.
Mathius said President Joko Widodo would inaugurate this congress with an estimated cost of Rp 20 billion from the regional government budget. “The president has come to open a cultural parade to the congress venue. Later, the president will hand over a map of the customary territory in Jayapura,” he said while affirming the support of the central and regional governments for holding this event.
He explained, in the Congress of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago, more than 2,000 indigenous peoples with their unique characteristics will be displayed. “Papua is ready to welcome friends from all indigenous peoples of Indonesia and the world to come and congress,” he said.
According to Mathius, if you follow the schedule, the congress should have been held in March. But the congress was decided to take place in October because on October 24 it coincided with the 9th Day of the Awakening of the Indigenous Peoples of Jayapura Regency and the Lake Sentani Festival.