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(bullfrog croaking)

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(singing in foreign language)

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West Papua is a country

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of vast jungles and tropical rain forests.

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Ecologically rich, our land is hailed

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the Amazon of Asia and is home to some

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of the world's most ancient cultures.

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For over 25,000 years, our people have lived

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in spiritual harmony with the land.

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Worshiping mother earth with songs and ceremonies.

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Lying on the largest island of the Asia Pacific region

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West Papua adjoins its Eastern neighbor.

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Papua New Guinea.

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The indigenous inhabitants of both countries

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are Melanesian of the same ethnic origin.

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Yet a border divides us as close cultural neighbors.

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Unlike Papua New Guinea, our country has remained hidden

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for a quarter of a century cut off from the outside world.

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Indonesia took control of West Papua in 1963

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and soon after banned visits by international observers.

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A veil of silence was drawn around our land

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and the outside world to a large extent, forgot.

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(dramatic music)

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This is the story of our people's unique culture

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and way of life.

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It is also the story of our social,

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political and environmental upheaval.

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Indonesia claimed West Papua as its 26 province

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just as later it would claim East Timor as its 27th.

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Overcrowding in areas of Indonesia

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meant our country became an obvious site

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for transmigration of Indonesian settlers.

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Rich in land and resources,

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it was a perfect target for exploitation.

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When the former Dutch colonialists

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gave up their control of West Papua in 1963.

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The United nations insisted Indonesia

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hold an act of free choice

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where indigenous Papuans

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could vote for independence or Indonesian rule.

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1969 saw 1025 tribal leaders

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rounded up by the Indonesian soldiers

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and forced to vote for Indonesian control.

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The United States endorsed the act

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and subsequently, the United nations

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gave its seal of approval to Indonesia's annexation.

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(singing in foreign language)

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Expressions of Papuans independence

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which were encouraged by the Dutch

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were suppressed during the years

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following the Indonesian takeover

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and over 100,000 Papuans lost their lives.

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As a result of the repression, a liberation movement

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called the OPM or Free Papua Movement emerged in the 1960s.

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Their battle for self-determination

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continues to be fought with bows and arrows

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against an Indonesian army with helicopters and machine guns

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(singing in foreign language)

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(speaking in foreign language)

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(foreign word) means the sun,

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(foreign word) the moon, and (foreign word) is stars.

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As long as these three objects,

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the sun, the moon and the stars are still shining.

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Our fighting for liberations will always

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persist and will always be there

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to gain our land for our dignity

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and the pride for Melanesian people.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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Freedom of speech is forbidden in our country.

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If I was interviewed in West Papua

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for a film and talk about a struggle of our people

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I will be arrested and put in jail.

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(singing in foreign language)

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In Jayapura, the capital city of West Papua.

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We have become fringe dwellers

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living on the edge of a dominant, foreign culture.

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(dramatic music)

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Patriotic ceremonies every month in Jayapura

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celebrate the independence Indonesia gained

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from its Dutch colonial masters in 1945.

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With an ironic twist, colonial history has repeated itself.

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In 1969, Indonesia named its newly acquired territory

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The Province of Irian Jaya.

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But those who support our rights to self-determination

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refer to our land as West Papua.

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We have chosen the name West Papua for our country

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because Papua means black skin with fuzzy hair.

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The Indonesians don't share this physical appearance.

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They have brown skin and straight black hair.

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Cultural and ethnically Melanesian's are different

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race of people to the Indonesians.

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In West Papua over 240 languages are spoken

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by the tribal communities.

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Amid such diversity there is unity amongst

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our people based on shared tribal bonds

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and our close relationship with the land.

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(singing in foreign language)

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One of the largest groups in west Papua

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are the Dani tribes

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who number about 200,000 people.

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In this remote region of the Baliem Valley,

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the Dani have retained their land

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and the traditional culture has remained essentially intact.

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As a member of a patriarchal society,

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Oabok, the tribal elder of this village

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has two wives, Lakalok and Teigi.

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Oabok is preparing himself for a pig kill ceremony.

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Held to rejoice the plenty for crop yields.

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(people chattering in foreign language)

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(dramatic music)

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The earth oven preparation unfolds with a rhythm

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timed by tradition and centuries of experience.

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(upbeat music)

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Whilst the pig hair is scorched off,

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hot stones are placed in an open pit, creating an oven.

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The insulating layers of stones and grass

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will be used to steam the pork and vegetables.

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(people chattering)

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Everyone knows what they must do.

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And preparation is conducted with speed

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and effectiveness of unity.

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(chattering in foreign language)

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Community life is the way of our people.

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We are strengthened by our belonging.

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Isolation and loneliness are not of our experience,

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nor is the alienation of the old.

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Elders are revered and respected for their wisdom.

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For their knowledge is our lifeline to future generations.

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(singing in foreign language)

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Once the vegetables are cooked, the oven is opened.

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The food is distributed and feasting begins

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as the Dani pay homage to their land.

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(singing in foreign language)

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Anthropologists believe that Dani have developed one

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of the world's most sophisticated agricultural systems.

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Their green gardens boarded

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by deep irrigation channels carpet the valley floor.

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For centuries, the Dani have practiced sustainable farming,

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living in harmony and accordance with their land.

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The Dani lack economic prosperity

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but human prosperity has flourished.

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(people chattering in foreign language)

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Diligent and industrious Oabok

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and his eldest son Dan work in the fields.

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Oabok's first wife locker Lakalok

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collect sweet potatoes with her sons, Sageous and Dati.

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Sweet potato is the stable diet of the Dani

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and they have named 70 different varieties.

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(chattering in foreign language)

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Over the last three decades

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it is the established rhythms of life

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which have kept the Dani women

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in touch with their traditional culture.

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By contrast, men traditionally devoted much

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of their time to ritualized warfare

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and towers were permanently manned to observe enemy raids.

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With Indonesian contact warfare was banned

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and while bringing certain peace to the valley,

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it has undermined the authority and purpose of the men.

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Records of ritualized warfare

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show that it was highly stylized

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with much of the time spent

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mastering strategies and tactics.

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Despite this, the Dani were appalling shots,

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rarely hitting each other fatally.

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When they were hit concern was for the wounded man's

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(speaking in foreign language), or soul.

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Which the Dani called the seeds of singing.

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A volunteer would murmur in the victim's ear

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calling the seeds of the song

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to return to their proper place.

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(bell ringing)

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Whilst they prayed for the seeds of singing,

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the spirit of evangelism

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rolled its way into the Baliem Valley.

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The first Baptist and Protestant missionaries

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played an instrumental role

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in promoting peace and Goodwill to all men.

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(singing in foreign language)

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But the taming of the Dani spirit

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has proved the daunting feat.

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during the first several decades

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of contact with the missionaries,

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the Dani largely resisted the influence of the church.

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For they had their own folklore

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and worshiped their own spiritual gods.

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Today in some areas, the missionaries have succeeded

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in reaping the seeds of the Dani spirit.

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(singing in foreign language)

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In certain regions of West Papua

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the churches have provided development projects

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to assist our people.

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However, Protestant missionaries

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tend to be more interested in religious conversions.

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The fear for the Dani is that Christianity

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will eventually undermine the cultural identity.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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Dani children now daily straddle two realities.

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At school they learn in Indonesian

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about Indonesian history and culture.

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They're taught on the presumption

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that their own culture is backward and inferior.

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Each month, a West Papua from the capital of Jayapura

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visits the Dani to learn about their culture

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and to discuss educational opportunities

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at a higher level.

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University offers a wider variety of subjects,

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which are more relevant to indigenous peoples.

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(people chattering in foreign language)

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If Dan was able to fulfill his ambitions

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and become a teacher,

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he would be in a unique position

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to teach his own people in his own language.

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Thereby helping to keep his own culture alive.

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(singing in foreign language)

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Though their lives are very different,

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urban West Papua's and the rural Dani

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have much to teach one another.

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(singing in foreign language)

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This smoked mummy is 400 years old.

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In days gone by the Dani used to smoke the mummies

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of revered elders for 50 years in the rafters of their huts.

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today only two still exist

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as time worn relics of a traditional past.

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(singing in foreign language)

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Only a decade ago, the Dani were living in the stone age.

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They now confront, in the shape

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of Indonesian development, the 20th century.

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Many young Dani are now leaving the villages

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and moving to Wamena, a capital town of the Baliem Valley.

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Here, they reach for the fruits of civilization.

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These fruits often translate into menial jobs

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or the endless search for employment.

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Since most businesses are run by Indonesians,

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it is tourism which forms the basis

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of the Dani's cash economy.

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(people chattering)

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In 1977 the Indonesian government

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organized the operation Koteka, or penis gourd program.

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The objective of this open policy of assimilation

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was to force the Dani to wear clothes,

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go to school, and speak Indonesian.

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The Koteka program was sponsored by president Suharto

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and it aimed to civilize the so-called primitive Dani.

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After the policy was devised

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there was a very big operation among Dani in the valley.

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This was very depressed by the Indonesia military

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and over 3000 Dani people lost their lives.

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During these sad times

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Dani elders would drop to their deaths

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from Indonesian helicopters from over the Valley.

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Today, it is transmigration of Indonesian settlers

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that poses the most serious threat

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to the Dani's future.

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In 1969, Indonesia's transmigration policy

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was introduced in West Papua.

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Its aim was to relieve overcrowding in Java and Bali.

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700,000 Indonesians have been relocated to our country.

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They now constitute nearly half

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the 1.6 million people in West Papua.

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Numerous transmigration camps have

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been established in our country.

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Lying west of Jayapura is the Arso camp.

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(dramatic music)

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Like most transmigration camps

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the Indonesian settlers have cleared

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vast tracks of rainforest to make way for crops.

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00:25:05.100 --> 00:25:08.760
Once our forests are destroyed, our people are alienated

269
00:25:08.760 --> 00:25:11.790
and displaced from their ancestral lands.

270
00:25:11.790 --> 00:25:13.710
They receive no compensation

271
00:25:13.710 --> 00:25:15.790
for the loss of their Sago trees,

272
00:25:15.790 --> 00:25:18.324
hunting grounds, and traditional livelihoods.

273
00:25:18.324 --> 00:25:20.824
(baby crying)

274
00:25:24.970 --> 00:25:27.700
Transmigrants are encouraged to believe

275
00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:29.890
that the opening up of unused land

276
00:25:29.890 --> 00:25:31.753
is in the name of development.

277
00:25:37.213 --> 00:25:41.130 line:15%
(speaking in foreign language)

278
00:25:57.310 --> 00:25:59.550
Indonesia's transmigration program

279
00:25:59.550 --> 00:26:01.811
has been financed by the world bank,

280
00:26:01.811 --> 00:26:04.070
a powerful financial organization

281
00:26:04.070 --> 00:26:07.503
funded by the United States and other first world countries.

282
00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:12.340
International protest has now led to a reduction

283
00:26:12.340 --> 00:26:14.753
in the world bank funding for transmigration.

284
00:26:16.010 --> 00:26:19.080
However, the program has only been scaled down

285
00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:22.940
while official settlers have been reduced,

286
00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:25.300
spontaneous or voluntary settlers

287
00:26:25.300 --> 00:26:27.660
are still actively encouraged.

288
00:26:27.660 --> 00:26:30.410
(dramatic music)

289
00:26:43.210 --> 00:26:46.170
Looking for fertile land to entice settlers

290
00:26:46.170 --> 00:26:49.623
Indonesia has now turned its attention to the Dani's valley.

291
00:26:52.410 --> 00:26:55.010
A road is now being carved across the Baliem Valley.

292
00:26:56.060 --> 00:26:57.600
It will for the first time

293
00:26:57.600 --> 00:27:01.603
give Indonesian settlers easy access to the Dani's land.

294
00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:08.080 line:15%
If the transmigration program is totally implemented

295
00:27:08.080 --> 00:27:11.460 line:15%
in Baliem Valley, this is going to be a disaster.

296
00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:15.100
The reason I'm saying disaster is because Baliem Valley

297
00:27:15.100 --> 00:27:19.170
remember is the most fertile land in West Papua.

298
00:27:19.170 --> 00:27:20.860
It's the most beautiful valley,

299
00:27:20.860 --> 00:27:22.567
but it takes time to help

300
00:27:24.377 --> 00:27:28.190
and to educate the people of Baliem Valley

301
00:27:28.190 --> 00:27:30.140
or the Highlanders

302
00:27:30.140 --> 00:27:33.570
and the government hasn't prepared these people.

303
00:27:33.570 --> 00:27:37.110
So I believe they are going to be the one who suffer,

304
00:27:37.110 --> 00:27:38.193
and this is true.

305
00:27:39.260 --> 00:27:41.110
I'm sorry, I'm not saying to say that

306
00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:44.360
because they, we will lose the most

307
00:27:44.360 --> 00:27:48.930
beautiful land but also the people of Dani

308
00:27:50.350 --> 00:27:52.860
don't understand what is actually

309
00:27:52.860 --> 00:27:55.313
the meaning of the land through themselves.

310
00:27:56.369 --> 00:27:58.952
So I would say it's a disaster.

311
00:28:02.253 --> 00:28:06.086
(singing in foreign language)

312
00:28:24.593 --> 00:28:27.160
Until now the Dani's traditional ownership

313
00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:30.120
of their land has allowed them to retain the roots

314
00:28:30.120 --> 00:28:31.633
of their cultural identity.

315
00:28:33.810 --> 00:28:37.560
If the Dani lose their land to the Indonesian settlers

316
00:28:37.560 --> 00:28:39.290
they will not die out,

317
00:28:39.290 --> 00:28:42.053
but the soul of their culture will wither away.

318
00:28:47.420 --> 00:28:49.760
Following the Baliem river south

319
00:28:49.760 --> 00:28:51.680
the mountains circling the valley

320
00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:54.520
fall away to the lowland rainforest.

321
00:28:54.520 --> 00:28:58.193
Where the winding river tributaries give birth to new life.

322
00:29:01.230 --> 00:29:03.830
This remote region on the south coast of West Papua

323
00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:07.640
is home to the Asmat tribes.

324
00:29:08.516 --> 00:29:12.349
(singing in foreign language)

325
00:29:25.544 --> 00:29:28.220
Numbering about 70,000 people,

326
00:29:28.220 --> 00:29:29.980
the asthma inhibit the largest

327
00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:32.093
alluvial swamp lands in the world.

328
00:29:39.170 --> 00:29:40.723
Unlike the Dani, the Asmat

329
00:29:40.723 --> 00:29:42.640
have already lost their land

330
00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:45.150
to Indonesian logging companies.

331
00:29:45.150 --> 00:29:47.220
And in just one generation,

332
00:29:47.220 --> 00:29:50.223
their culture has been largely obliterated.

333
00:29:53.032 --> 00:29:56.865
(singing in foreign language)

334
00:30:20.301 --> 00:30:22.528
Traditionally, the Asmat were feared,

335
00:30:22.528 --> 00:30:24.786
proud and artistic people.

336
00:30:24.786 --> 00:30:26.223
Strong and independent.

337
00:30:26.223 --> 00:30:30.056
(singing in foreign language)

338
00:30:57.420 --> 00:30:59.794
For thousands of years, their culture centered

339
00:30:59.794 --> 00:31:04.794
around the physical and spiritual meaning of the forests.

340
00:31:04.820 --> 00:31:08.543
Asmat means the true humans or the tree people.

341
00:31:09.630 --> 00:31:13.520
In Asmat mythology, the first man was carved from a tree.

342
00:31:21.353 --> 00:31:24.500
Each tree, plant, animal and insect

343
00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:26.393
had a spiritual meaning to the Asmat.

344
00:31:27.610 --> 00:31:30.143
Some were benevolent, others evil.

345
00:31:31.150 --> 00:31:33.440
The children would learn at an early age

346
00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:36.013
to drive evil spirits from the village.

347
00:31:36.013 --> 00:31:39.846
(singing in foreign language)

348
00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:49.110
It was the strength of these spiritual beliefs

349
00:31:49.110 --> 00:31:51.313
which gave purpose to cultural expression.

350
00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:54.470
Wood carvers of world acclaim.

351
00:31:54.470 --> 00:31:57.600
The Asmat's intricately designed ancestor poles

352
00:31:57.600 --> 00:31:59.793
gave form to their spirits.

353
00:32:01.760 --> 00:32:04.210
Traditionally head hunters, each figure

354
00:32:04.210 --> 00:32:08.383
on their ancestor poles represented a death to be avenged.

355
00:32:14.370 --> 00:32:16.610
Until the ghosts were avenged

356
00:32:16.610 --> 00:32:19.640
they may inflict accidents, sickness,

357
00:32:19.640 --> 00:32:22.683
blight upon crops or a thousand other troubles.

358
00:32:24.220 --> 00:32:27.590
Head hunting was believed to bring equilibrium,

359
00:32:27.590 --> 00:32:30.223
balance between the physical and spiritual worlds.

360
00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:34.210
A civilized opinion shudders at this practice

361
00:32:34.210 --> 00:32:36.993
the Asmat shudder at the thought of the nuclear bomb.

362
00:32:38.545 --> 00:32:42.378
(singing in foreign language)

363
00:32:53.889 --> 00:32:57.390
When the Asmat were shown books of other indigenous tribes

364
00:32:57.390 --> 00:33:01.461
images of the Amazonian Shinga tribes intrigued them most.

365
00:33:01.461 --> 00:33:05.294
(singing in foreign language)

366
00:33:17.944 --> 00:33:19.050
There are many similarities

367
00:33:19.050 --> 00:33:21.723
between the Asmat and Amazonian Shinga tribes.

368
00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:24.950
Both lived in harmony with nature

369
00:33:24.950 --> 00:33:26.410
and both liberated the spirits

370
00:33:26.410 --> 00:33:28.993
of the dead by decorating large totems.

371
00:33:30.370 --> 00:33:34.473
They had drawn the same conclusions about life and death.

372
00:33:38.380 --> 00:33:40.380
In the present day, Bruno talks

373
00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:42.180
to his father and grandfather

374
00:33:42.180 --> 00:33:45.050
about the meaning of traditional Asmat beliefs.

375
00:33:48.169 --> 00:33:52.669 line:15%
(people speaking in foreign language)

376
00:35:19.743 --> 00:35:21.420
This peace has been traded

377
00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:24.090
by a fear of another nature.

378
00:35:24.090 --> 00:35:26.690
The cycle of head hunting has been replaced

379
00:35:26.690 --> 00:35:28.423
by the cycle of exploitation.

380
00:35:30.720 --> 00:35:34.270
Between 1974 and 1987

381
00:35:34.270 --> 00:35:35.680
men and children were rounded up

382
00:35:35.680 --> 00:35:38.643
by Indonesian logging companies as a labor force.

383
00:35:39.550 --> 00:35:41.290
In return for their work,

384
00:35:41.290 --> 00:35:44.250
the Asmat received handfuls of tobacco

385
00:35:44.250 --> 00:35:47.193
to which they are now completely addicted.

386
00:35:48.280 --> 00:35:52.947
(people chattering in foreign language)

387
00:36:25.599 --> 00:36:28.180
The Asmat continue to whoop and cry

388
00:36:28.180 --> 00:36:30.780
in an effort to appease the spirit of the dead tree.

389
00:36:38.050 --> 00:36:39.670
Although the men are now paid a commission

390
00:36:39.670 --> 00:36:42.780
for their work, it is a pittance of a wage

391
00:36:42.780 --> 00:36:45.180
when compared to the market value of the timber.

392
00:36:46.260 --> 00:36:49.330
Whilst the men are paid a dollar each for the tree,

393
00:36:49.330 --> 00:36:52.703
the logging company sells each tree for about $500.

394
00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:59.680
At the logging camps the Asmat have been enslaved

395
00:36:59.680 --> 00:37:01.923
by a cycle of poverty and despair.

396
00:37:03.140 --> 00:37:05.447
Their spirit has been broken.

397
00:37:06.866 --> 00:37:10.699
(singing in foreign language)

398
00:37:46.530 --> 00:37:51.470
Indonesia doesn't recognize Asmat's tribal land rights.

399
00:37:51.470 --> 00:37:54.320
In fact, in Indonesia all the land is owned by the state.

400
00:37:59.620 --> 00:38:01.330
Indonesia's constitution

401
00:38:01.330 --> 00:38:04.770
affords traditional landowners no right to compensation

402
00:38:04.770 --> 00:38:06.120
for the loss of their land.

403
00:38:07.290 --> 00:38:08.480
Whilst their timber is sold

404
00:38:08.480 --> 00:38:11.950
by Indonesian logging companies to the middle east,

405
00:38:11.950 --> 00:38:16.479
profits line the pockets of an elite group of military men.

406
00:38:16.479 --> 00:38:19.229
(engine rumbles)

407
00:38:25.890 --> 00:38:28.040
If you trace the loggers activities

408
00:38:28.040 --> 00:38:32.483
in West Papua to Jakarta you will always find a general.

409
00:38:33.340 --> 00:38:36.083
So they use the military to back up their operations.

410
00:38:43.030 --> 00:38:45.480
Business ventures based in Indonesia,

411
00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:48.310
not only thrive on the profits of logging,

412
00:38:48.310 --> 00:38:51.563
but in a trade of what is left of Asmat culture and art.

413
00:38:57.550 --> 00:38:59.560
The working of wood lies at the heart

414
00:38:59.560 --> 00:39:02.923
of Asmat existence, but this is a dying art.

415
00:39:04.150 --> 00:39:05.950
Over the last 20 years,

416
00:39:05.950 --> 00:39:07.850
the carvings have declined in quality.

417
00:39:08.810 --> 00:39:11.660
And whilst the Asmat region has been closed to outsiders

418
00:39:12.650 --> 00:39:14.520
many of the traditional carvings

419
00:39:14.520 --> 00:39:16.430
have been shipped to Jakarta

420
00:39:16.430 --> 00:39:19.933
where they're sold for high prices by Indonesian traders.

421
00:39:25.370 --> 00:39:28.210
While Indonesian show little respect for culture,

422
00:39:28.210 --> 00:39:29.710
other than its potential value

423
00:39:30.560 --> 00:39:33.100
some of the missionaries in the Asmat region

424
00:39:33.100 --> 00:39:35.769
have shown considerable sensitivity.

425
00:39:35.769 --> 00:39:39.602
(singing in foreign language)

426
00:39:41.834 --> 00:39:45.060
Unlike their Protestant counterparts in the Baliem Valley,

427
00:39:45.060 --> 00:39:48.120
the Catholic missionaries have tended to place an emphasis

428
00:39:48.120 --> 00:39:51.163
on the people's welfare and not on their conversion.

429
00:39:54.470 --> 00:39:57.000
Establishing educational programs,

430
00:39:57.000 --> 00:40:00.320
they stress the importance of environmental protection

431
00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:02.440
and encourage self-sufficiency

432
00:40:02.440 --> 00:40:05.857
in order to avoid dependence on Indonesian goods.

433
00:40:05.857 --> 00:40:08.607
(dramatic music)

434
00:40:12.790 --> 00:40:15.750
Degrees of environmental and cultural pressure

435
00:40:15.750 --> 00:40:18.293
vary considerably in Asmat region.

436
00:40:20.590 --> 00:40:24.090
Until recently the inland Brazza river area

437
00:40:24.090 --> 00:40:26.983
had experienced minimal contact with the outside world.

438
00:40:28.090 --> 00:40:30.330
However, this is being counteracted

439
00:40:30.330 --> 00:40:32.433
by a hard line simulation policy.

440
00:40:33.610 --> 00:40:37.096
It's objective, to Indonesianize the people.

441
00:40:37.096 --> 00:40:39.846
(dramatic music)

442
00:40:49.835 --> 00:40:52.301
A leaflet on the Asmat culture

443
00:40:52.301 --> 00:40:55.457
clarifies the Indonesian governments position.

444
00:40:55.457 --> 00:40:58.207
(dramatic music)

445
00:41:13.010 --> 00:41:16.280
In an attempt to civilize the Asmat tribes

446
00:41:16.280 --> 00:41:19.230
the Indonesian authorities are relocating the people

447
00:41:19.230 --> 00:41:20.840
to sterile villages,

448
00:41:20.840 --> 00:41:24.680
along the easily accessible banks of the Brazza river.

449
00:41:26.500 --> 00:41:29.370
The Asmat originally lived in three houses

450
00:41:29.370 --> 00:41:31.603
which perched six meters above the ground.

451
00:41:32.620 --> 00:41:35.440
A simulation has seen the destruction

452
00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:37.533
of nearly all of the traditional homes.

453
00:41:38.454 --> 00:41:41.204
(dramatic music)

454
00:42:02.931 --> 00:42:06.920
Resisting the soulless uniformity of their new houses,

455
00:42:06.920 --> 00:42:09.313
the Asmat have designed bamboo extensions.

456
00:42:10.610 --> 00:42:13.240
The cultural resilience finds expression

457
00:42:13.240 --> 00:42:14.640
in these rickety structures.

458
00:42:15.570 --> 00:42:19.547
While the houses sit empty and largely unused.

459
00:42:19.547 --> 00:42:24.214
(people chattering in foreign language)

460
00:42:33.226 --> 00:42:35.787
West Papua is important to Indonesia

461
00:42:35.787 --> 00:42:37.337
cause of its natural resources.

462
00:42:38.520 --> 00:42:41.603
Not only had our forest been plundered,

463
00:42:42.540 --> 00:42:43.723
but also our mineral resources

464
00:42:43.723 --> 00:42:45.883
have been systematically exploited.

465
00:42:47.530 --> 00:42:51.980
Our country's rich in oil, copper and gold.

466
00:42:51.980 --> 00:42:54.630
These many activities have brought

467
00:42:54.630 --> 00:42:57.540
enormous devastation to the lives of our people

468
00:42:58.540 --> 00:43:01.820
and also to the ecological system of West Papua.

469
00:43:08.757 --> 00:43:12.310
In the Carstensz region the Freeport copper mine

470
00:43:12.310 --> 00:43:13.790
has displaced the Amungme tribes

471
00:43:13.790 --> 00:43:15.333
from their traditional lands.

472
00:43:16.170 --> 00:43:18.370
And many of the people have been relocated

473
00:43:18.370 --> 00:43:20.163
to settlements on the south coast.

474
00:43:21.580 --> 00:43:25.390
The Amungme have lost their once pristine environment

475
00:43:25.390 --> 00:43:28.720
to the industrial might of the 20th century.

476
00:43:28.720 --> 00:43:31.470
(dramatic music)

477
00:43:34.440 --> 00:43:37.200
Freeport International Incorporated

478
00:43:37.200 --> 00:43:40.030
is the largest copper mine in the world.

479
00:43:40.030 --> 00:43:42.253
And it contains an immense gold deposit.

480
00:43:44.760 --> 00:43:46.830
Established in 1970

481
00:43:46.830 --> 00:43:49.750
by the United States Freeport SFA company.

482
00:43:49.750 --> 00:43:52.760
It epitomizes the exploitation of West Papua

483
00:43:52.760 --> 00:43:54.760
by multinational corporations,

484
00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:57.410
as well as the Indonesian governmen.

485
00:43:57.410 --> 00:44:00.050
For over two decades, the activities

486
00:44:00.050 --> 00:44:03.080
of the mine have been hidden from the outside world

487
00:44:03.080 --> 00:44:04.543
as a well kept secret.

488
00:44:09.171 --> 00:44:11.820 line:15%
The Indonesians, make it very difficult

489
00:44:11.820 --> 00:44:14.170 line:15%
for foreign journalists to visit West Papua

490
00:44:15.070 --> 00:44:18.260
and areas such that the Asmat

491
00:44:18.260 --> 00:44:22.993
and Freeport are strictly forbidden to outside world.

492
00:44:24.450 --> 00:44:28.050
This is due to extent of environmental

493
00:44:29.250 --> 00:44:32.723
and cultural damage taking place in the regions.

494
00:44:34.020 --> 00:44:37.660
Indonesian don't want the outside world to know

495
00:44:37.660 --> 00:44:40.143
what is happening in our areas.

496
00:44:40.984 --> 00:44:43.734
(dramatic music)

497
00:45:03.960 --> 00:45:08.960
An estimated 125 million USR dollars in profit

498
00:45:10.500 --> 00:45:13.960
leaves Freeport each year.

499
00:45:13.960 --> 00:45:16.610
Making the company the Indonesians

500
00:45:16.610 --> 00:45:19.503
largest individual tax payers.

501
00:45:20.840 --> 00:45:25.840
However, the Amungme have never received

502
00:45:28.544 --> 00:45:31.340
any compensation for the massive exploitation

503
00:45:31.340 --> 00:45:33.453
and destructions of their land.

504
00:45:38.140 --> 00:45:41.030
One third of the profits Indonesia receives

505
00:45:41.030 --> 00:45:43.700
goes to service its massive foreign debt

506
00:45:43.700 --> 00:45:45.273
owed to first world creditors.

507
00:45:46.400 --> 00:45:48.560
Many organizations have suggested

508
00:45:48.560 --> 00:45:50.500
that if the price is the global environment

509
00:45:50.500 --> 00:45:52.990
we all share then it is time

510
00:45:52.990 --> 00:45:55.803
for the first world banks to write off these debts.

511
00:45:57.340 --> 00:45:58.573
But is that a solution?

512
00:45:59.870 --> 00:46:01.820
Would a eradication of those debts

513
00:46:01.820 --> 00:46:04.473
ease the exploitation of West Papua resources?

514
00:46:05.610 --> 00:46:06.483
It is unlikely.

515
00:46:07.760 --> 00:46:10.320
As long as there is a first world market

516
00:46:10.320 --> 00:46:13.300
and profits to be made from our resources,

517
00:46:13.300 --> 00:46:16.053
silence reigns and destruction rages.

518
00:46:22.751 --> 00:46:24.960
The international media ignore the plight

519
00:46:24.960 --> 00:46:28.170
of our people and the environmental

520
00:46:28.170 --> 00:46:30.963
devastation wrecking havoc in West Papua.

521
00:46:32.610 --> 00:46:35.960
It is in the interest of the multinational

522
00:46:35.960 --> 00:46:38.000
companies operating in West Papua

523
00:46:39.570 --> 00:46:42.600
that the rape of our land remains

524
00:46:42.600 --> 00:46:45.173
unknown to the outside world.

525
00:46:51.136 --> 00:46:52.840
Why is it that European man

526
00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:55.240
and ensuing colonial masters

527
00:46:55.240 --> 00:46:59.240
have been able to justify every invasion as discovery

528
00:46:59.240 --> 00:47:01.712
and every step of resource exploitation

529
00:47:01.712 --> 00:47:03.303
as development in trade?

530
00:47:08.420 --> 00:47:10.420
Constantly emptying out the forests

531
00:47:10.420 --> 00:47:12.550
and cultures that protected them.

532
00:47:12.550 --> 00:47:15.773
The world's rainforests are being rapidly destroyed.

533
00:47:27.686 --> 00:47:30.470
And current rates of deforestation in Indonesia

534
00:47:30.470 --> 00:47:32.253
are second only to Brazil.

535
00:47:33.170 --> 00:47:36.440
West Papua contains 34 million hectares

536
00:47:36.440 --> 00:47:38.270
of tropical rainforests,

537
00:47:38.270 --> 00:47:41.053
which accounts for a quarter of Indonesia's forests.

538
00:47:42.110 --> 00:47:43.920
Over half of this land

539
00:47:43.920 --> 00:47:46.183
has been divided into logging concessions.

540
00:47:47.061 --> 00:47:49.811
(dramatic music)

541
00:47:54.250 --> 00:47:56.190
What makes it feel so natural

542
00:47:56.190 --> 00:47:58.240
for intruders to invade our lands

543
00:47:58.240 --> 00:48:00.180
and take them away in the belief

544
00:48:00.180 --> 00:48:03.633
that for the first time, they are being owned and used?

545
00:48:08.160 --> 00:48:10.300
Colonization in West Papua

546
00:48:10.300 --> 00:48:12.233
has not improved a lot of the people.

547
00:48:13.230 --> 00:48:15.650
Like the Amazonians of Brazil,

548
00:48:15.650 --> 00:48:20.390
all people are dying out as our environment is destroyed.

549
00:48:20.390 --> 00:48:23.650 line:15%
The struggle for justice and freedom,

550
00:48:23.650 --> 00:48:27.883 line:15%
for the people of West Papua is a lot of meaning.

551
00:48:29.840 --> 00:48:33.143 line:15%
Not only for myself or, but for the people of West Papua.

552
00:48:34.920 --> 00:48:39.920 line:15%
I say that because it is not only me.

553
00:48:40.400 --> 00:48:41.710 line:15%
Sometimes I feel that

554
00:48:44.170 --> 00:48:45.610 line:15%
the people of West Papua.

555
00:48:49.095 --> 00:48:51.750 line:15%
Are knocking me and pushing me,

556
00:48:51.750 --> 00:48:55.410 line:15%
that they said, you have to do this.

557
00:48:55.410 --> 00:48:57.360 line:15%
You have to tell the rest of the world.

558
00:48:58.980 --> 00:49:03.835 line:15%
So actually I'm speaking for the voices,

559
00:49:03.835 --> 00:49:07.810 line:15%
people who are tortured, people who die in the past

560
00:49:10.280 --> 00:49:12.633 line:15%
and people who are today, are still suffering.

561
00:49:14.320 --> 00:49:18.170 line:15%
Many people said that we are not fighting against it

562
00:49:18.170 --> 00:49:19.950 line:15%
but actually our cry freedom

563
00:49:19.950 --> 00:49:22.677 line:15%
is very strong and is still going.

564
00:49:22.677 --> 00:49:26.510
(singing in foreign language)

565
00:49:38.820 --> 00:49:41.160
Our people are forcibly assimilated

566
00:49:41.160 --> 00:49:42.683
into modern civilization.

567
00:49:43.620 --> 00:49:47.073
Their wisdom and knowledge of the ages will vanish.

568
00:49:52.445 --> 00:49:56.000
If the world is to help us preserve our heritage

569
00:49:56.000 --> 00:49:58.160
it must first recognize the value

570
00:49:58.160 --> 00:49:59.743
of our traditional cultures.

571
00:50:01.220 --> 00:50:05.260
As environmental issues become ever more prevalent,

572
00:50:05.260 --> 00:50:07.894
the world should learn to reexamine notions

573
00:50:07.894 --> 00:50:09.944
of progress and development.

574
00:50:09.944 --> 00:50:13.777
(singing in foreign language)

575
00:50:26.627 --> 00:50:29.689
For 25,000 years, our people have understood

576
00:50:29.689 --> 00:50:33.920
that nature is the source of life

577
00:50:33.920 --> 00:50:36.063
and they have respected it accordingly.

578
00:50:38.620 --> 00:50:41.500
The first world has disastrously mismanaged

579
00:50:41.500 --> 00:50:44.473
the environment and the effects are coming to light.

580
00:50:45.650 --> 00:50:49.350
With that light, comes an element of humility

581
00:50:49.350 --> 00:50:51.630
undermining the arrogant attitude

582
00:50:51.630 --> 00:50:54.693
that there is little to learn from our tribal cultures.

583
00:50:55.610 --> 00:50:57.860
We should learn from each other.

584
00:50:57.860 --> 00:51:00.969
There must be exchange, not assimilation.

585
00:51:00.969 --> 00:51:03.969
(people chattering)

586
00:51:06.630 --> 00:51:09.833
In the face of ever increasing environmental destruction,

587
00:51:10.780 --> 00:51:12.560
the information we have to share

588
00:51:13.470 --> 00:51:15.783
is part of the future survival of the world.

589
00:51:17.270 --> 00:51:20.407
For we are the guardians of the earth.

590
00:51:22.454 --> 00:51:26.287
(singing in foreign language)