WAMENA, PAPUA PEGUNUNGAN – The Acting Governor of Papua Mountains, Velix Vernando Wanggai will draft a Governor’s Regulation or Pergub on the obligation to wear Noken for all State Civil Apparatus within the Papua Mountains Province, including 8 Regencies and Cities in the Province.
Through this policy, Wanggai hopes to encourage the economic movement of the community and encourage the economy of Papuan Mama-mama noken craftsmen.
This was conveyed by Wanggai during his speech at the commemoration of the 79th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia which was held at the Wamena Education Stadium, the capital of Jayawijaya Regency, Mountainous Papua Province, Saturday (17/8/2024).
Acting Governor Wanggai said that the policy is a form of the Provincial Government’s attention to the cultural wisdom and crafts of local communities that have become part of the daily lives of people in the Papua Mountains region, “for that we will form a Governor’s Regulation which will make it mandatory for State Civil Apparatus, P3K, Honorary Employees both vertical agencies, State-Owned Enterprises and Regional-Owned Enterprises who work or work in the Papua Mountains to use Noken during office or official hours,” said Wanggai.
Acting Wanggai also explained that the use of noken is part of the appearance or fashion as well as describing the characteristics and identity of the people in the mountainous region, so that the Provincial Government must follow, especially for the State Civil Apparatus in the 8 Regencies in the Papua Mountains Province, “because noken is one of the pride of all of us, because noken is part of the identity of indigenous Papuans, especially the people in the Papua Mountains region,” said Wanggai.
Wanggai also reminded other benefits of noken that have helped improve the community’s economy, especially for noken craftsmen who are mostly Mama-mama from Papua in the mountains, “therefore we will also require all State Civil Apparatus and Vertical Agency Employees, State-Owned Enterprises and Regional-Owned Enterprises we will be obliged and directed to buy the handicrafts of these Papuan Mama-mama,” he said.
The creative economy can also grow in the Papua Mountains Province, “besides that it can foster enthusiasm for Papuan mothers to continue knitting noken to preserve the culture that has been owned for hundreds and even thousands of years since the days of our ancestors, the people of Papua Mountains make noken in various daily needs,” said Wanggai.
Through this policy Wanggai hopes to encourage the economic movement of the community, as well as encourage the economy of Papuan Mama-mama who are in various regions in the Papua Mountains Province, “related to this Governor Regulation we have made a regulatory framework since August 15, 2024 yesterday, and we plan to socialize the regulatory framework to the Regional Government or to the Regent in each Regency and City in the Papua mountains,” said Wanggai.