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In Timika, women work to save the 'noken'
Brusque business: The women sell their bags through word of mouth and on consignment in Timika
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Brusque business: The women sell their bags through word of mouth and on consignment in Timika.
A noken woven bag is one of the best known pieces of Papua's cultural heritage ' and is a symbol of good life, peace and fertility.
Only women are allowed to make noken, which are crafted from woven or knotted bark and are used for carrying everything from groceries to babies.
Making a noken symbolizes maturity and the readiness of a woman to marry.
But fewer and fewer people are interested in learning the craft, which is in danger of being forgotten.
One group in Utekini Baru village, however, is working to preserve the tradition. They established a collective in 2010 comprised of women from the Mee and Dani tribes.
Natalia Tebai is one of the craftswomen in Utekini Baru behind the operation.
'We are very concerned about the extinction of noken. Few women of the young generation want to knit,' the 35-year-old says. 'It is hard to find women in rural areas who make noken. Only women older than their 50s still keep at it.'
Another craftswoman, Maria Kuyami, echoed Natalia. 'Making a noken preserves the cultural wealth of Papua, as well as continually introducing products of our heritage to the outside world.'
The collective, located about 27 kilometers north of Timika, adds about Rp 2 million (US$164) a month to the women's income. Over 98 percent of the 815 people who live in Utekini village are part of farming families, raising cassava, taro, yams, pigs and chickens to live.
Various iconic figures adorn the noken made by the collective: birds of paradise, the Papua flag, Asmat tribal motifs, lizards and crocodiles. Some substitute such adornment for a dazzling array of colors.
'The most difficult part is making birds of paradise and Asmat motifs,' Natalia said. 'It takes at least four days to make a bird of paradise for a small bag that can be worn on the shoulder.
A larger bag, capable of holding 30 kilograms, takes considerably longer, she adds.
Maria said that the women sell their bags through word of mouth and on consignment in Timika.
'Now, plenty of noken handicraft from Utekini have been showcased at galleries or souvenir shops in Timika. We work together with local vendors in Timika to promote the noken. We set the price. The vendors are free to sell further,' Maria said.
Making noken requires nylon or yarn, which are easier to knit and weave, or bark. Nylon and yarn can be bought in Timika, while bark comes from Paniai or Wamena.
'It's very hard to obtain bark,' Natalia says. 'The bark is from pandanus leaves, forest orchids and some other wooden fibers. Each piece of bark has to be processed and then dried for a few weeks.'
After the bark is dried, it is dyed with concoctions made from turmeric leaves for yellows, the suji plant for purples and spinach for greens.
A knitting needle is basically all that is needed to make a noken, along with a floor mat. No special training is required, just hard work.
The space where the women labor is about 24 square meters next to some stalls selling staple foods and about 3 meters from the road.
A selection of noken with various motifs, colors and designs are for sale, ranging from Rp 20,000 to
Rp 50,000, depending on their size.
The women, who sometimes sell in bulk to buyers in Timika, can make five small nylon or yarn noken a day, while small bark noken require two days.
'Knitting a bark noken is quite complicated, because it must be dyed,' Natalia says. 'We must be careful and thorough when knitting bark noken. It takes about two hours to dye the bark. Materials that have been dyed have to be dried first. Then we continue knitting.'
Demand, it seems, is high.
'I always come to Utekini to buy noken, and sometimes I order specific motifs and designs based on my client's request,' said Muhammad Irwan, 37, who runs a gallery on Jl. A. Yani in Timika.
Nylon noken are typically resold for anywhere from Rp 50,000 to Rp 150,000 in the city, while bark noken can fetch upwards of Rp 1 million, according to Fransiska Douw, another reseller in Timika.
Stores typically book profits ranging from Rp 20,000 to Rp 75,000 per noken, deducted from the price set by the Utekini collective.
Fitria Pelewean, who heads the regency education agency's secondary schools office, said that some of her staff bring noken to the office. 'We also have been coordinating with the principals of public and private schools in order to introduce noken made from Utekini to their pupils for use in school.'
Similarly, Yohanis Kasamol, the head of Mimika's tourism office, said that some government officials also used noken from Utekini, 'Passengers who get off the plane will see the officials at Mozes Kilangin airport wearing noken immediately.'
Or if you'd like to see the collective at work, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) journey costs about Rp 10,000 from Timika. Just ask for SP 12 Utekini village.
' Photos by Markus Mardius
