From New Mexico for Papua (Dari New Mexico untuk Papua)
by Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta
(Bahasa Indonesia)
But this experience reminded just to the incredibility of Papua. Papua is always close to my heart. Its beauty can not be forgotten. Papua beauty must be preserved by protecting the surrounding nature especially to strengthen brothers and sisters who will continue to develop a culture of pride within themselves to face the modern world. New Mexico has passed law to perserve indigenous cultures and the way the the native live here in the United States. The native people are contains on different tribal groups. Two majority of groups are Navajo and Pueblo of Indians. Besides the Indians have the rights to manage the land and their economic activities, the local government makes the mandatory Dolby architecture for housing, offices and other public facilities for specially in the location where are no many trees for building houses.
At the beginning of my journey from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, when we were in Washington State , in the north west part , I attended the meeting and festival tribe of Indians which was called Paw Wow. The meeting, which brought together fellow tribes from around USA and Canada was an essential to strengthen the joint struggles among the Indians to achieve their justice and peace. In the midst of a bitter history in the Americas because of the wars waged by the Spanish and then forwarded by the British to subdue the local population the Indian tribes, however after hundreds of years later, the culture of indigenous tribes still maintained. When culture is a part of everyday life, not just displayed for a tourism consumption, the Indians are the masters in their own land.
While writing about the Indians, the native of American, it has brought me back to reflect the same phenomena with Papuan. Before I left Boston in the 17th of October, at the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs of Boston University, I met Dr. Charles Fahardian, an anthropologist, a professor at Westmont College in California, USA who has done researches on Papua and edited a book titled " Testimony Project: Papua ". This book was published in 2007 and contains writings related to the testimony of indigenous Papuans to their plight as citizens of the Republic of Indonesia. Development within the expansion of the politics of rice using the bureaucratic practices as being conducted in Java, apparently has removed secretly the power of the indigenous cultures. This book describes the rise of awareness among the indigenous Papuans to the injustice they have experienced over the years. Special Autonomy Law which was a national product given by the government of Indonesia to the indigenous people of Papua in 2001 to empower the indigenous communities have not benefitted optimally to the Papuans. Development is carried out to benefit mainly to a small part of the elite Papuans and other Indonesian citizens who serve there. Backwardness in education and health of the indigenous people who live in rural areas are still very poor.
As a citizen of Indonesia, we are all called to remind the Indonesian governments both are in Jakarta and Papua for Papuans seeking equitable empowerment in peace perspective. Indonesia has to take responsibility for justice in Papua. This responsibility is our collective duty as a fellow citizen of the Republic of Indonesia which could also encourage the international community, especially in the United States to remember the U.S. government in upholding justice in Papua through economic policy and security assistance to Indonesia, which aims at protecting and empowering indigenous Papuans. This expectation requires hard work from all of us that the Papuans receive the basic rights of life to be required for the birth of a vibrant cultural life among Papuans and to all Indonesian people everywhere they live.
by Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta
(Bahasa Indonesia)
Salam dari
tanah pesona, New Mexico.
New Mexico
adalah negara bagian dari Amerika Serikat yang sangat menakjubkan. Bersama
dengan empat negara bagian lainnya, yaitu Colorado, Arizona, Nevada dan Utah,
New Mexico berada dalam apa yang disebut Grand Circle. Komposisi geologi tanah
di kelima negara bagian ini menebarkan keajaiban bagi siapa saja yang berada di
sekitarnya. Kami tiba di Farmington, kota kecil di paling utara New
Mexico. Ada perbedaan dua jam di antara
Boston di Massachuttsets dengan New
Mexico, Perjalanan dari Boston ke sini melalui
Denver selama 4,5 jam dengan pesawat Boeng, kemudian dari Denver ke Farmington
menggunakan pesawat kecil, Great Lakes Airlines dengan 14 tempat duduk yang terbang rendah sehingga
keindahan alam Rocky Mountain bisa dinikmati dari pesawat. Bepergian dengan pesawat kecil mengingatkan saya pada penerbangan dari Biak ke Serui dengan ukuran yang sama, yaitu dengan pesawat Merpati terbang menembusi awan.
Sejak itu, kami mengendarai kendaraan ke Ghost
Rance, Alburquerque, Los Alamos dan Angel Fire. Tadi pagi, kami mendaki salah
satu rute dari bagian selatan Rocky
Mountain pada perbatasan di antara New Mexico di Angel Fire dengan Colorado.
Rocky Mountain terlihat dari pesawat |
Menginjak
kaki di sini sekarang seperti sedang dibius dalam kerahasiaan alam semesta yang
diciptakan oleh Sang Pencipta.
Tetapi
keluarbiasaan pengalaman ini mengingatkan saja tentang Papua. Tanah Papua
selalu dekat di hati saya. Keindahannya juga tidak bisa dilupakan. Keindahan
Papua harus dijaga dengan melindungi alam di sekitarnya, terutama menguatkan
saudara-saudari sebangsa, orang asli Papua sehingga dalam kebanggaan budayanya
terus mengembangkan diri menghadapi dunia modern saat ini. New Mexico mempunyai
aturan untuk melindungi budaya orang asli Amerika Serikat, yang disebut orang
Indian. Selain orang Indian memiliki hak mengelola tanah dan kegiatan ekonominya,
pemerintah setempat mewajibkan penggunaan arsitektur berbahan dolby untuk
perumbahan, perkantoran dan fasilitatas umum lainnya.
Di awal
perjalanan saya dari pantai barat ke pantai timur Amerika Serikat, ketika kami
di Washington State, di bagian barat utara, saya menghadiri acara pertemuan dan
festival suku Indians yang hadir dari seluruh Amerika Serikat dan Canada. Acara
tersebut disebut Pow Wow. Pertemuan yang
menghimpun sesama suku sangat penting untuk menguatkan perjuangan bersama
mencapai keadilan dan perdamaian. Di tengah sejarah pahit di benua Amerika karena perang yang dilakukan oleh Spanyol
kemudian diteruskan oleh Inggeris dengan menaklukkan penduduk setempat yaitu
suku-suku Indian, sesudah beratus tahun kemudian, budaya suku-suku asli masih
terpelihara. Ketika budaya adalah bagian dari hidup sehari-hari, bukan sekedar
ditampilkan untuk konsumsi turisme, suku asli Indian menjadi tuan di tanahnya
sendiri.
Sambil menulis tentang suku Indian di Amerika Serikat, saya diingatkan tentang Papua. Sebelum keberangkatan ke sini, pada tanggal 17 Oktober di Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs di Boston University, saya bertemu dengan Dr. Charles Fahadian, seorang antropolog, seorang profesor di Universitas Westmont di California, Amerika Serikat yang telah melakukan penelitian tentang Papua dan menyunting sebuah buku berjudul "Kesaksian Proyek: Papua". Buku ini
diterbitkan pada tahun 2007 dan berisi tulisan-tulisan terkait dengan kesaksian
orang asli Papua terhadap penderitaan mereka sebagai warganegara NKRI.
Pembangunan, politik beras dan perluasan praktek
birokrasi seperti yang dilakukan di Jawa ternyata secara diam-diam telah menghilangkan kekuatan budaya orang
asli Papua. Buku ini menjelaskan tentang kebangkitan kesadaran orang asli Papua
terhadap ketidakadilan yang mereka alami selama ini.
Undang-Undang Otonomi Khusus merupakan produk
nasional yang diberikan oleh pemerintah RI kepada orang asli Papua, tetapi
sejak tahun 2001 sampai sekarang upaya pemberdayaan masyarakat asli Papua
sehingga bisa menghasilkan perundangan daerah belum dilakukan secara maksimal.
Pembangunan dilakukan untuk menguntungkan sebagian kecil kaum elite orang asli
Papua dan warganegara Indonesia lainnya yang melayani di sana. Keterbelakangan
dalam pendidikan dan kesehatan terhadap orang asli yang tinggal di daerah
pedalaman masih sangat memprihatinkan. Di tengah eksplorasi kekayaan alam yang
dilakukan oleh perusahaan-perusahaan multi-internasional seperti Freeport di Papua dan
Bristish Petroleum di Papua Barat, keuntungannya ternyata lebih dirasakan oleh Jakarta ketimbang
orang-orang asli Papua. Hutan Papua
dengan keanggerannya menjadi alasan untuk tidak bisa dibangun jalan kenderaan.
Seolah-olah gunung-gunung tidak bisa ditembusi padahal semakin banyak gunung
Papua yang hilang, diganti dengan perkebunan kelapa sawit atau di dalam perut
bumi, tanah berunsur emas, tembaga diangkut meninggalkan lorong-lorong yang
kosong dan gampang rubuh mencelakakan pekerja-pekerja. Belajar dari ketandusan di sekitar daerah Rocky Mountain ketika eksplorasi pertambangan dilakukan ratusan tahun lalu, penggalian sumber daya alam di Papua harus dilakukan secara bertanggungjawab sehingga orang asli Papua tidak tersingkir karena alamnya dihancurkan.
Sebagai
warganegara Indonesia, kami semua terpanggil untuk mengingatkan pemerintah
Indonesia, pejabat-pejabat yang berada di Jakarta maupun di tanah Papua untuk
mengupayakan pemberdayaan masyarakat Papua yang adil dalam perspektif
perdamaian. Indonesia tidak bisa melepaskan tanggungjawabnya dalam menegakkan
keadilan di tanah Papua. Tanggungjawab ini adalah tugas kita bersama sebagai
sesama warganegara NKRI yang juga bisa mendorong masyarakat internasional,
terutama di Amerika Serikat untuk mengingat pemerintah Amerika Serikat dalam
menegakkan keadilan di Papua melalui kebijakan ekonomi dan bantuan keamanan
kepada Indonesia yang bertujuan untuk melindungi dan memberdayakan orang asli
Papua. Harapan ini memerlukan kerja
keras dari kita semua sehingga orang Papua mendapat hak-hak dasar kehidupan
yang menjadi persyaratan lahirnya suatu budaya kehidupan yang hidup dalam
masyarakat Papua dan juga di Indonesia.
(English)
Greetings from the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico .
New Mexico is a state of the United States which is amazing. Together with four other states, namely Colorado , Arizona , Nevada and Utah , New Mexico is in what is called the Grand Circle . Geological composition of the soil in the five states to spread the vicinity magic for anyone in the area. We arrived last Friday in Farmington, a small town in the northern New Mexico. There are two hours difference between Boston, in Massachuttsets and the mountain time in New Mexico. With Boing, it took 4,5 hours from Boston to Denver where we continued the trip flying to Farmington with small aircraft, the Great Lakes Airlines with 14 seats that flew lower to enjoy the beauty of Rocky Mountain. Travelling by small plane reminds me of the flight from Biak to Serui with the same size of airplane, Merpati to journey into the clouds.
New Mexico is a state of the United States which is amazing. Together with four other states, namely Colorado , Arizona , Nevada and Utah , New Mexico is in what is called the Grand Circle . Geological composition of the soil in the five states to spread the vicinity magic for anyone in the area. We arrived last Friday in Farmington, a small town in the northern New Mexico. There are two hours difference between Boston, in Massachuttsets and the mountain time in New Mexico. With Boing, it took 4,5 hours from Boston to Denver where we continued the trip flying to Farmington with small aircraft, the Great Lakes Airlines with 14 seats that flew lower to enjoy the beauty of Rocky Mountain. Travelling by small plane reminds me of the flight from Biak to Serui with the same size of airplane, Merpati to journey into the clouds.
Since that we have driven around the northern New Mexico regions from Farmington to Ghost Rance to Alburquerque to Los Alamos to Angle Fire. This morning we just returned from our walk along one of the hiking route on the southern part of Rocky Mountain that I saw while flying last week. Some ground are being covered by snow.
Stepped foot in here now, I feel as being drugged in secrecy universe created by the Creator.
But this experience reminded just to the incredibility of Papua. Papua is always close to my heart. Its beauty can not be forgotten. Papua beauty must be preserved by protecting the surrounding nature especially to strengthen brothers and sisters who will continue to develop a culture of pride within themselves to face the modern world. New Mexico has passed law to perserve indigenous cultures and the way the the native live here in the United States. The native people are contains on different tribal groups. Two majority of groups are Navajo and Pueblo of Indians. Besides the Indians have the rights to manage the land and their economic activities, the local government makes the mandatory Dolby architecture for housing, offices and other public facilities for specially in the location where are no many trees for building houses.
At the beginning of my journey from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, when we were in Washington State , in the north west part , I attended the meeting and festival tribe of Indians which was called Paw Wow. The meeting, which brought together fellow tribes from around USA and Canada was an essential to strengthen the joint struggles among the Indians to achieve their justice and peace. In the midst of a bitter history in the Americas because of the wars waged by the Spanish and then forwarded by the British to subdue the local population the Indian tribes, however after hundreds of years later, the culture of indigenous tribes still maintained. When culture is a part of everyday life, not just displayed for a tourism consumption, the Indians are the masters in their own land.
While writing about the Indians, the native of American, it has brought me back to reflect the same phenomena with Papuan. Before I left Boston in the 17th of October, at the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs of Boston University, I met Dr. Charles Fahardian, an anthropologist, a professor at Westmont College in California, USA who has done researches on Papua and edited a book titled " Testimony Project: Papua ". This book was published in 2007 and contains writings related to the testimony of indigenous Papuans to their plight as citizens of the Republic of Indonesia. Development within the expansion of the politics of rice using the bureaucratic practices as being conducted in Java, apparently has removed secretly the power of the indigenous cultures. This book describes the rise of awareness among the indigenous Papuans to the injustice they have experienced over the years. Special Autonomy Law which was a national product given by the government of Indonesia to the indigenous people of Papua in 2001 to empower the indigenous communities have not benefitted optimally to the Papuans. Development is carried out to benefit mainly to a small part of the elite Papuans and other Indonesian citizens who serve there. Backwardness in education and health of the indigenous people who live in rural areas are still very poor.
In the middle of the exploitation of natural resources by multi - corporations like Freeport in Province of Papua and Bristish Petroleum in Province of Papua Barat are profitable more to the elite in Jakarta and in Papua than to the common Papuan people. Papua's forests with its awesomeness can not be used as an excuse to enable building roads. As if the mountains could not be penetrated when more and more mountain Papua are being replaced with palm plantations or in the bowels of the earth, the ground element of gold, copper is transported left the halls are empty and collapsed damaging to the labours. Learning from the desolation around Rocky Mountain area when mining exploration done hundreds of years ago, the extraction of natural resources in Papua should be done in a responsible manner so that Papuans are not eliminated because of its nature is being destroyed.
As a citizen of Indonesia, we are all called to remind the Indonesian governments both are in Jakarta and Papua for Papuans seeking equitable empowerment in peace perspective. Indonesia has to take responsibility for justice in Papua. This responsibility is our collective duty as a fellow citizen of the Republic of Indonesia which could also encourage the international community, especially in the United States to remember the U.S. government in upholding justice in Papua through economic policy and security assistance to Indonesia, which aims at protecting and empowering indigenous Papuans. This expectation requires hard work from all of us that the Papuans receive the basic rights of life to be required for the birth of a vibrant cultural life among Papuans and to all Indonesian people everywhere they live.