Many `matuto` paintings found in Kaimana

Jayapura (ANTARA News) ^ | Monday, October 26, 2009 | U/A

[Fred Nerks]

Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Many "matuto" paintings, as a kind of scratches from the pre-historic rock arts, were found in a number of villages which belong to Kaimana District, Provinice of Papua Barat, a local official has said.

Matuto is a shape of a half-man lizard and believed as the ancestor of heroes, Head of Jayapura Archaeology Center, Drs.M.Irfan Mahmud,M.Si said here Monday.

From the research, according to Irfan, a lot of matuto paintings were found at niche surfaces made as canvas for the artists of the pre-historic time in several archaeological sites.

Matuto motif belongs to an anthropomorphic group with religious meaning representing the people`s ancestors living in Kaimana in the pre-historic time, he added.

He pointed out that besides matuto, the anthropomorphic group also includes a palm-print motif which means a protective power to prevent from evil things, and a human motif.

Matuto paintings were found in the sites of Omborecena, Memnemba, Memnemnambe and Tumberawasi located in Maimai village.

Whereas in Namatota village, matuto paintings were also found in the sites of Werfora I, Werfora II, Werfora III and Werfora IV.

The other pre-historic paintings which were scratched at the niche surfaces are in the motifs of lizard, fish, tortoise, crocodile, cuscus, snake, bird and sea horse which belong to the fauna group.

In the geometrical motif, there are the pictures of sun, direction mark, rectangular and circle. The pictures of man`s cultural objects include those on the shapes of boat, boomerang, spear, rock axe, sago hammer and mask.

Pre-historic men scratched paintings on niche surfaces with natural color substance and their works were called rock arts which served as media to express ideas or thoughts concerning certain events.

These archaeological relics are sort of civilization from the ancestor`s community in Papua, and have enriched the national culture.(*) COPYRIGHT © 2009

[Fred Nerks]

Circumnavigation of New Guinea: Wewak to Port Moresby

LINK

Jayapura, previously called Hollandia, changed names when Indonesia took possession of the western half of New Guinea by popular election in 1969. In contention with the English, it was the Dutch who were the resident colonial power as far back as 1660, and remained so until the Japanese occupation on April 19, 1942. The 19th century saw oil and mineral exploration throughout western New Guinea, and the U.S.-owned Freeport Copper Mine persists today.

On our arrival in Jayapura we were met by a band of enthusiastic dancers in traditional dress. A strong Indonesian influence was immediately noticeable...

[MestaMachine]

Can’t find any images. Do you know where there might be some?

[Fred Nerks]

Journal Article Excerpt Rock Art in West Papua.

by Chris Ballard

Rock Art in West Papua By Karina Arifin and Philippe Delanghe UNESCO Publishing, Paris, 2004. ISBN 92-3-103906-7. Pp.291.48.80.

Monographs on rock art in the Asia-Pacific region (outside Australia) are few and far between, and one on the rock art of West Papua is a rare bird indeed. Social science research in the Indonesian province of Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), which remains effectively under military control, is virtually impossible for foreigners and difficult even for Indonesian scholars. The authors, an Indonesian archaeologist trained at ANU and a UNESCO Programme Specialist for Culture based in Jakarta, are to be congratulated for their persistence in pursuing a program of field survey, which has resulted in this handsomely produced volume. No fewer than 261 plates, almost all of them in colour, will make this an invaluable resource for anyone interested in rock art, or in the archaeology of ritual and symbolism more generally.

SOURCE

[21twelve]

I spent 3 months at the Grassberg Mine mentioned in the later post. Amazing country and people. They were still finding “stone age” tribes in the higher remote valleys in the 1930’s. When the locals working at the mine would quit, they would get to the mine property, shuck their steel toed boots and head off on their 20 mile walk over the 14,000 foot elevation rocky pass in their bare feet.

[Fred Nerks]

I’ve been looking...without success.

[MestaMachine]

It’s one of my obsessions, ancient artifacts and archaeology. I have never seen a matuto painting. I am gonna go back through some of my books. If I manage to find anything, I’ll scan it.

[BigCinBigD]

The new Art's czar?

[Fred Nerks]

WEST PAPUA-GENOCIDE

[MestaMachine]

Had a friend who was a foreman at the Porgera Mine in Papua. Lived in Queensland. 30 days in, 10 days out. Said the compound was guarded 24/7 and he said it was very dangerous at the time.
It seemed to me that the people who worked in the mines were more or less slave labor. They lived within the compound with their families.
I do not understand these kinds of evil. Working there changed him tremendously. He drank very heavily, and became very mean and surly. Finally stopped communicating altogether.

[urtax$@work]

Many `matuto` paintings found in Kaimana

It's THE GREAT M U T A T O, investigated by FBI's Scully and Mulder who turned out to be a disfigured boy. Show title: Post Modern Prometheus

[Sloth]

Matuto paintings were found in the sites of Omborecena, Memnemba, Memnemnambe and Tumberawasi

What a coincidence! Those are the same names as the lady's kids down at the laundromat the other day.

[Fred Nerks]

International Betrayal of Papuans

Indonesian correspondent for the Seoul Times, John M. Gorrindo in late September filed a comprehensive report which focuses on the historical plight of the Papuan people. He concludes the first part of his two-part analysis with the following regarding the “Act of Free Choice,” the indisputably fraudulent electoral process which facilitated Jakarta’s annexation of West Papua: “In the ‘Act of Free Choice,’ the international community had betrayed the only opportunity Papua has yet to have in becoming an independent state. Not a single nation protested the sham elections. Nor did the UN. And to have the greatest democratic force in the world, the United States, be the determinate factor behind the betrayal fully exacerbated the treachery. Realpolitik had determined the victor and the vanquished.” The full article can be found at http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=8849.

Photographic Evidence of Civilian Casualties in Continuing TNI Sweeps

Australian human rights activist Nick Chesterfield placed online new evidence of the human cost of Indonesian military sweeps in the Puncak Jaya region, reported in recent editions of the West Papua Report. Chesterfield notes that the photographs reveal the brutal extrajudicial murder of civilians in Mulia, Puncak Jaya regency during a sweep by a joint Indonesian military (TNI) and BRIMOB police patrol. He elaborated that the bodies of victims were deliberately mutilated, burnt and hidden to prevent identification. The full set of 12 distressing photos can be downloaded at http://rapidshare.com/files/284410599/photos_killings_PUNCAK_JAYA_sep09.rar

http://www.progressio.org.uk/westpapua/AssociatesInternal/98403/west_papua_report_october_2009/

[SunkenCiv]

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[bruinbirdman]

Jayapura isn't exactly Kaimana District, Provinice of Papua Barat.

Kaimana District looks like a few fishing or logging villages and miles and miles of jungle about 500 miles SW of the city of Jayapura.

yitbos

[dsc]

I didn’t see any mention of those Indonesians being muslims.