PAPUAAROUND — Traditional clothing is one of Indonesia’s cultural assets. One of them is traditional Papua clothing. Papua traditional clothing is one of Indonesia’s traditional cultures with very strong regional characteristics.
Papua traditional clothing is a type of traditional clothing worn by the Papua people and has its own uniqueness. But not only Papua, almost every province in Indonesia is very rich in its own regional culture. Each region has traditional clothes, local languages and traditional houses as cultural characteristics.
Papuan Traditional Clothing as Indonesian Culture
Until now, most Indonesian people are probably only familiar with one of the traditional Papua clothes, namely the koteka. This characteristic of Papua culture is indeed unique, so it is known to be popular among local and international communities. Come on, get to know the name of Papua traditional clothes as a culture that needs to be known and preserved.
1. Koteka/Holim
Known as the Koteka, this traditional dress has other regional names, namely Hilon, Harim or Bobbe. Koteka is a traditional men’s clothing that is quite quirky. The function of this traditional dress is to cover the vital parts of men by letting other body parts look almost naked.
Koteka is made from the skin of a water gourd and the seeds and flesh of the fruit are removed. The water water gourd chosen is usually old so that the texture is harder and lasts longer after being dried. After drying, the koteka, which is shaped like a sleeve, is attached to the waist and points upwards.
The use of traditional clothing is also unique and has a certain meaning. The higher the status of men according to custom, the larger the size of the koteka worn. Well, there is also a modification of the Tiom tribe that uses two water gourd to make koteka.
2. Kurung Shirt
The Kurung shirt is a traditional Papua dress for women in the form of a top made of velvet. This traditional dress is influenced by external culture and is often worn by the Manokwari people. People living in West Papua also use these clothes for traditional activities.
Usually, the baju kuning is combined with a tassel skirt complete with fur tassel decorations on the neck, arms or waist. This combination of traditional clothing is also harmonious with various accessories such as bracelets and necklaces made of hard grains. To complete the look, the women wore head coverings made of cassowary feathers.
3. Tassel Skirt
A tassel skirt goes well with a yellow dress that girls can wear. This skirt is made of dried sago leaves and is used to cover the lower body. However, tufted skirts can also be worn by men. The difference is, men no longer wear tops like the yellow shirts that women usually wear.
4. Sali
Papua traditional clothes are also made specifically for women who are not married or are still single. The garment, known as sali, may not believe that its basic material is tree bark. This outfit must be made with care to create a brown color for the perfect custom dress.
5. Yokal
If Sali is made for single women, of course there are traditional Papua clothes made for married women. This outfit is known as Yokal and its color is reddish brown. This is what makes women distinguishable when looking at their clothes. Yokal can be found easily in the interior of Papua, Yokal shows the importance of being close to nature.
6. Grass Cloth Dress
Papua traditional clothing which is given a modern touch is also visible on the grass cloth. Both men and women in South Sorong can wear this outfit. This grass shirt can be considered unique, even though it looks modern because of the rather complicated way of making it.
The basic material for this clothing is the dried sago leaf shoots. Not only that, the leaves must also be taken during high tide. The sago leaves will be dried and go through a deep soaking process before being woven manually.
The weaving process is carried out using a meter-long piece of wood to connect the ends of the ropes. The dry grass is then twisted together to be used as a rope around the waist. Ropes are made with a minimum of two ropes or with a different amount.
Papua traditional clothing is a special cultural property because it still maintains natural ingredients. Although they are increasingly rarely used, these various traditional clothes are often found in souvenir shops to be used as souvenirs for local and foreign tourists.
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