SENTANI, WHERE THE PEOPLE RETURN TO THEIR ROOTS

Nia S. Amira
[email protected]

The eight Lake Sentani Festival will take place this year in June, 2016. A cultural parade from the various eth­nic groups in Papua and from around Indonesia at Jayapura will enliven the Festival. People will also perform Isilo, a traditional dance on boats, using folk music and folktales. While the “Resounding Sounds of the Tifa” will be brought by 500 people or more wearing tra­ditional costumes.

Since 8 years ago some programs have been doing with lots of effort, such as fierce compe­titions that will take place to win boat-racing for men, boat-racing for women, musical com­petitions on drums and pipes, with songs from various parts of the region. A tour will also be offered to the Islands of Asei and Ajun to watch special local rituals.

Province Papua is Indonesia’s most east­erly province, located near by the provincial capita; citty, Jayapura, on the north eastern coast of the Indonesian side of New Guinea and Lake Sentani is one of the largest lakes on the island of Papua. The indigenous people built stilted houses equipped with nets to haul in the daily fish catch.