Arfak people

Arfak people
Magasa dance of the Arfak people
Total population
at least 70,000–100,000
Regions with significant populations
 Indonesia (2010 Census)100,000[1]
• Pegunungan Arfak Regency±40,000
• Manokwari Regency±40,000
• South Manokwari Regency±20,000
Languages
Hatam, Meyah, Moile, Sougb, Papuan Malay, and Indonesian
Religion
Christianity (majority)
Related ethnic groups
Hatam, Meyah, Moile, Sougb

The Arfak people are an ethnic group inhabiting the Arfak Mountains on the Bird's Head Peninsula in West Papua, Indonesia. The area inhabited by the Arfak people is in Pegunungan Arfak Regency at an altitude of 2,950 metres (9,680 ft) above sea level. The Arfak Mountains border Manokwari Regency to the north, South Manokwari Regency to the east, Teluk Bintuni Regency to the south, and South Sorong Regency to the west.

Pegunungan Arfak Regency is accessible via two main routes: through Manokwari Regency or via South Manokwari Regency.[2]

Etymology

The word arfak comes from the word arfk in Biak, meaning "people who sleep on fire", because the Arfak people place burning coals under their stilted houses to warm them.[3]

Sub-groups

According to "the father of Indonesian anthropology" Koentjaraningrat,[4] the inhabitants of the Arfak Mountains consist of four sub-groups with similar cultures: Hatam, Meyah, Sougb, and Moile. Each group speaks a different language, so they cannot communicate with each other in their native tongues.

Arfak sub-groups inhabit the Arfak Mountains with clear territorial divisions. The Hatam, the largest group in the southern Arfak Mountains, live in Oransbari District and Ransiki District. The Meyah, often called the "original Arfak people," inhabit the eastern mountains in Warmere and Prafi Districts. The Moile live in the western mountains in Minyambouw District, while the Sougb inhabit the northern mountains in Anggi District.

Arfak culture

The Arfak people take pride in their tribal identity, and when traveling outside their region, they openly identify as part of the larger Arfak tribe. The four sub-groups of the Arfak people each have different languages, although Hatam and Moile still share some grammatical similarities with the main Arfak language. Weapons among the Arfak and their four sub-groups include bow and arrows. The complete bow and arrow set is called inyomus in Sougb and inyomusi in Irai village. Practitioners of black magic among the Arfak, known as suwanggi, are sometimes hired as assassins. The Sougb call them surer.[5]

The Arfak people have traditional dances such as the Tumbu Tanah Dance, which all sub-groups of the Arfak perform. The dance has two names depending on location: when performed on streets it is called Tumbuk Tanah, and when performed near houses it is called Tumbuk Rumah. The dance is accompanied by songs telling stories of plants, farming, the history of the Arfak people, beliefs, and past wars.

Another dance, the Magasa Dance, is also known as a Snake Dance to outsiders. The name refers to the winding, snake-like movements following the song's lyrics. Magasa is performed during weddings, harvest season, and when welcoming important guests. It is danced in pairs between men and women with hand-holding, jumps, and stomping. It tells stories of romance, heroism, and nature's beauty. The Red Fruit Dance is performed only by Arfak youths and represents the land's beauty.[6]

Each Arfak sub-group is led by a clan leader, and each group has distinct clans and languages. The Moile have clans such as Kowi, Saiba, Mandacan, Sayori, Ullo, Ayok, Indow, Wonggor, among others.

The Arfak are skilled hunters and traditional healers.

Hundred-Pillar House

The traditional stilt house has walls made of wood, a roof of pandan leaves, and a floor of bamboo or nibung splits. Their traditional houses, called "hundred-pillar houses", are known as mod aki aksa in Meyah, igmam in Hattam, and tu misen in Sougb.[7] It is not only a dwelling but also a venue for cultural events; the upper part is for living and household activities, while the lower part is for livestock and firewood storage.[6]

References

  1. ^ Kewarganegaraan, Suku Bangsa, Agama dan Bahasa Sehari-hari Penduduk Indonesia Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2010 [Citizenship, Ethnic Groups, Religion, and Daily Languages of the Indonesian Population Based on the 2010 Population Census] (in Indonesian). Badan Pusat Statistik. 2011. ISBN 9789790644175. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Pesona Alam dan Keunikan Masyarakat Pegunungan Arfak Papua Barat" [The Natural Charm and Uniqueness of the Arfak Mountains People, West Papua]. travelnatic.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  3. ^ Hapsari, Windy (2016). "Iwim (Tato) Orang Hatam di Kabupaten Manokwari" [Iwim (Tattoo) of the Hatam People in Manokwari Regency]. Jurnal Penelitian Sejarah Dan Nilai Tradisional (in Indonesian). 23 (1). ISSN 2615-3483. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  4. ^ "Wayback Machine". www.kitlv-journals.nl. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Mengenal Suku-Suku Pegunungan Papua Barat" [Getting to Know the Inland Tribes of West Papua Mountains]. detikcom (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Kebudayaan Suku Arfak" [Culture of the Arfak People]. ilmuseni.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Mod Aki Aksa/Igkojei/Hundred-Pillar House, Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage 2016" [Mod Aki Aksa/Igkojei/Hundred-Pillar House]. Direktorat Warisan dan Diplomasi Budaya (in Indonesian). 10 December 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2025.

Bibliography

Books

  • Kondologit, Enrico Yory; Sawaki, Andi Thompson (2016). Tarian Tumbu Tanah (Tari Tradisional Masyarakat Arfak di Kabupaten Arfak, Provinsi Papua Barat) [Tumbu Tanah Dance (Traditional Dance of the Arfak People in Arfak Regency, West Papua Province)] (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Balai Pelestarian Nilai Budaya Papua dan Amara Books. ISBN 978-602-6525-10-9.
  • Frank, Simon Abdi K. (2012). Arsitektur Tradisional Suku Arfak di Manokwari [Traditional Architecture of the Arfak People in Manokwari] (in Indonesian). Jayapura: Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Balai Pelestarian Nilai Budaya Jayapura, Papua Kerjasama dengan Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Pusat Studi Kawasan Pedesaan, Universitas Cenderawasih, Jayapura, Papua. ISBN 978-602-7980-01-3.
  • Koentjaraningrat, dkk (1994). Irian Jaya: Membangun Masyarakat Majemuk [Irian Jaya: Building a Plural Society] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Penerbit Djambatan. ISBN 978-979-4281-70-3.
  • Assa, Veibe Ribka; Hapsari, Windy (2015). Peranan Perempuan Hattam dalam Beberapa Aspek [The Role of Hattam Women in Several Aspects] (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Balai Pelestarian Nilai Budaya Papua dan Kepel Press. ISBN 978-602-3560-62-2.

Journals


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