goodmorningpapua.com – Besides being known as a pottery-producing village that still exists in Papua, in their daily life, the people of Kampung Abar still know the traditional hunting tradition. Kampung Abar is located on Lake Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua, not far from Sentani Airport.
The tradition of hunting in Abar Village is done by men. The animals targeted for hunting are deer, monitor lizards, cuscus, kangaroos, moles, wild boars and several types of birds. Usually in hunting, the Abar people are assisted by dogs specially trained to chase the game. When surrounded, animals will be targeted with arrows or spears.
One group of hunters is usually four or five people. While hunting by setting a trap is carried out by one or two people. The trap are used to catch live animals, such as kangaroos, moles or birds. As decoy, a dry coconut is usually used. The snares are set in the forest or savana far from settlements. The snares are usually set up in the afternoon, then checked the next day. Beyond that, the entangled animal will surely die.
In hunting pigs, if you get piglets, the piglets will be brought to the village to be nurtured. In the past, the Abar hunters believed in magical powers, such as reciting certain spells, to bless each hunting tool in order to get a lot of prey. The game will be sold at Sentani Old Market in the afternoon. For one cuscus, the price is Rp. 300 thousand to Rp. 500 thousand.