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min, 33, from South Sulawesi, has been selling Papuan handicrafts from his Kasuari Papua Art shop in Jayapura, Papua, for more than 10 years.

He sells traditional wooden handicrafts from Asmat, koteka (traditional penis gourds made from bark), bark used for wall decorations and accessories made from animal bones and teeth.

"I usually purchase these products from people in Asmat, Wamena, Sentani and Biak. They come to my shop whenever they have handicrafts to sell," Amin said.

Amin said most Asmat tribes sold statues while Sentani people sold bark.

"The famous koteka originated from Wamena."

A statue from Asmat costs up to Rp 7.5 million (US$750), he said.

"A statue with this price is around the size of an adult. Each statue is unique because they each have their own motif."

He said bark decorations were sold at Rp 50,000 to Rp 200,000 a piece.

"The price depends on its size."

Amin said selling Papuan handicrafts required persistence.

"It's because we don't have many channels open to sell the crafts, unlike places such as Bali.

"You have to love the job and appreciate the meaning of each product to do well," he said, adding he had mastered Papuan art more than his knowledge of his Bugis background.

Amin said he was optimistic about the future of Papuan handicrafts, both in domestic and international markets.

"However, we need support from the government so we can participate in national and international exhibitions," Amin said.

He also said he had displayed his goods in Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Makassar earlier this year.

Amin said European tourists loved to buy his products.

"An overseas tourist visited my stand at an exhibition recently," he said.

"He purchased all my displays, which amounted to around 200 items, and shipped them to Japan."

Ibu Zakaria, 40, of Makassar, has also been selling Papuan crafts for 10 years in Jayapura.

"The business is doing well," Ibu Zakaria said.

"My husband and I can support our family with this business."

Yohanis Pauw, 35, a producer of bark decorations from Asei Village in East Sentani, said he faced difficulties selling his goods.

"We sell our art in our village, a tourism spot in Papua," Yohanis said.

"However, poor networking has hampered us from reaching our selling potential.