"Noken" of Moi People - Sorong

This short article was translated from original notes by Agustinus Kalalu when we asked him to find a Noken for Papua Itu Kita event in Jakarta. Interesting to see how rich are Papua cultures and local knowledge living with community and has keep them survive until today. Yes, Noken or in Indonesia we can say "Tas Tangan" is a traditional hand bag made from woods, bark, leaf or fine. Moi people as part of Indigenous Papuan tribe has recognize this for long time and some woman are still manage this art of handy craft for their domestic needs.

"Kuwok" is the words Moi People is saying to "noken/hand bag". Raw material for 'noken' are collected from the bush around the villages such as 'Banto' or grass, 5 kinds of tree barks, bamboo, rattan and palm leaf. The size of Noken is made based on its function. Big noken or Moi People call it "Kuwok Sai", is using to keeps Sago powder/starch, big volume of vegetables and bush meat. While the 'Kuwok Plagi" is the words for small bag/noken and its mostly used for keep and carry small material such as tradition cigarattes, fire, foods, traditional medicine and include money. Mostly noken has its original color follow the materials but some Noken also got painted using traditional color material the community it gathered from the wild. The colorful noken in Moi Poeple is called "Kuwok Gele". 

In the current development and modern live pressures to the customary values, traditional knowledges and consumption live styles the efforts that this woman doing are the evidence of how they are trying to maintain the tradition. Agus added that “noken” is an indicator to measure how close are one community with their environment, land and resources that they are claiming. This also a sources of verification to see how women in Moi Tribe interaction and dependency to nature are still high. So he said that action to save the forests are crucial to also save the tradition, value and knowledges and maintain the woman contribution in managing forests resources.