PAPUAAROUND – The Enggros Village Forest is a customary forest in Youtefa Bay, so sacred that only women can visit. This forest is a very sacred customary forest, only women can visit.
The Enggros Village Forest is located in Youtefa Bay, east of Abepura in the coastal area of Jayapura. This 8-hectare forest is dominated by mangrove trees and is highly protected by the local community. Usually, Enggros females come to these forests to hunt bia or shellfish.
The people of Enggros Village call this activity to the women’s forest with Tonotwiyat, Tonot means mangrove forest and Wiyat means an invitation to come. The women will enter Tonotwiyat to look for shellfish in groups of 3-5 people using kole-kole, a type of wooden boat. The clams will be consumed alone or sold at a nearby traditional market.
One thing that is unique is that women will take off all their clothes or be naked when looking for shells. Since Tonotwiyat is forbidden to men, no one will dare to peek at the activities of Enggros women. Apart from being a hunting ground, this customary forest is also a place to chat and vent. During Tonotwiyat, they would talk to each other about family, kitchen affairs, and children.
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Customary Sanctions for Men
Males are forbidden to set foot in the female forest. Anyone who violates it will be subject to customary sanctions in the form of beads that are considered valuable. There are three types of beads, namely blue, green, and white. Beads of blue color are the most expensive. The people of Enggros Village wear these beads as dowry or dowry by men during the wedding procession.
The existence of the Enggros Village forest is a symbol of the division of duties between men and women in the social structure. Males fish in the sea, while females look for shellfish in mangrove forests. The Enggros society strongly adheres to this principle. In enggros customary law, women are special beings so they should not be treated like slaves or arbitrarily.
Quoted from Phinemo.com, Orgenes Maraudje, a community leader of Kampung Enggros told BBC.com that women are the cleanest creatures, they should not hear harsh words and be kept in the principles of customary law. The women’s forest has been preserved for seven generations and has a mystical tradition. Whatever happens in this forest must not be told to anyone unless he comes directly to the forest.
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Increasingly Threatened and Forgotten
Along with the times, women’s forest traditions are increasingly forgotten. Few young women care about the noble values of the Enggros Village women’s forest, so the focus of hope is on older women. Not to mention the garbage thrown into this forest from Abepura, Hamadi, and Entrop which empties into this forest. The garbage comes mostly from household waste. Most of the garbage comes from household garbage.
Youtefa Bay which includes Enggros, Tobati, and Nafri has been designated as a Natural Tourism Area since 1976. Enggros Village is a residential area floating above the ocean. Kampung Enggros can be reached by speedboat for 10 minutes from Ciberi Beach. Women’s forests in this place are habitats for biodiversity, some of which are already endangered.
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