SOUTHWEST PAPUA – The Moi tribe is one of the largest ethnic groups in Southwest Papua Province. The population reaches 100,000 people and the Moi people are spread across several regions, namely:
- Sorong Regency,
- Sorong City,
- Raja Ampat,
- Tambrauw,
- South Sorong.
Besides being known as a community that is accustomed to fishing, the Moi Tribe is the guardian of the Egek tradition, which is a tradition of protecting nature by taking only enough. The Moi tribe is one of 225 tribes in Papua and initially this tribe only inhabited one place on the north coast of the Papuan plain, precisely in Maladofok Village. Maladofok Village is an ancient village located about 2 kilometers west of Malaumkarta Village, Makbon District, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua. The Moi tribe then spread to a number of areas for refuge, such as to Malaumkarta, Suatolo, Sawatut, Malagufuk, and Mibi villages, due to natural disasters.
The Moi tribe consists of seven sub-tribes, namely:
- Moi Kelim,
- Moi Abun That,
- Moi Abun Jhi,
- Moi Salkma,
- Moi Klabra,
- Moi Lemas,
- Moi Maya.
The Moi tribe relies on nature, especially the sea and forests since the time of their ancestors, the Moi tribe cannot be separated from boats, which in the Moi language are called “kama”. Moi people’s boats are characterized by the presence of susung or house-like buildings, which function as a place to protect themselves and logistics from rain. Their boats are made of salawaku wood, which is found in the land where they live. The Moi tribe relies on boats as a means of transportation for fishing, also selling sago and fruit to the city and as a vital means of livelihood and transportation, the Moi tribe is very concerned about the maintenance and aesthetics of their boats.
In looking for fish, the Moi Tribe usually uses spears made of wood or bamboo and besides that, they also poison fish using natural ingredients from sabekisik bark, which is accompanied by reading certain mantras and not only the sea, the Moi Tribe also depends on the forest. The forest is a source of life, which stores food reserves for them and from the forest, the Moi people can farm by planting sweet potatoes, taro, bananas, cassava, sago, vegetables, and looking for sago worms and fruits, as well as hunting animals.
Egek Tradition The Moi tribe is very concerned about preserving the forest and the sea as their source of life, therefore they have a tradition that is still firmly held today, namely the Egek Tradition. Egek is a tradition of protecting nature by taking in moderation and not overexploiting natural resources, one way the Moi Tribe preserves this tradition is by avoiding the use of machines that are not environmentally friendly and they prefer to use traditional boats or traditional boats, rather than motorized boats.
If the Moi people have certain desires, for example building public facilities or other activities that require large resources, they will discuss in the customary law community group or conduct “buka egek”, because through this forum, they review everything so that it remains in line with the culture that has become customary law. Buka Egek is a time for the Moi Tribe to go to sea or take crops from the land and forest for their own consumption, during Buka Egek, they perform traditional rituals typical of the Moi Tribe, which generally feature traditional dances called A’len dances.