Kawasa Byak,Er Byak | |
|---|---|
 A Biak man wearing his traditional clothes. | |
| Total population | |
| 204,415 (2010)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Biak Numfor • Supiori • Raja Ampat • Yapen Islands • Manokwari • Jayapura • Sorong | |
| Languages | |
| Biak,Papuan Malay,Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (majority),Islam (minority)[2] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ma'ya • Abun • Yapen • Wasior • Sawai |
Biak people are anethnic group originating from theBiak Islands inCenderawasih Bay, just off the north coast ofPapua, Indonesia. The Biak people have several sub-tribes, such as theAimando,Betew,Doreri,Kafdaron,Karon,Usba,Wardo, andKaipuri, most of whom have migrated and settled on the north coast of Papua and theRaja Ampat Islands since the 15th century.[3]
The naming of Biak itself began during theDutch colonial era in the 17th century, the Dutch gave the name of the Biak-Numfor archipelago asSchouten Eilanden. Some also call it Numfor, Mafor, Wiak, or Vyak. The phoneme [w] in the word "Wiak" actually comes from the phoneme [v] which then changes to [b] so that the word "Biak" appears, while the word "Biak-Numfor", with a horizontal line connecting the two words, used officially to name the area and population that inhabit the islands located north ofCenderawasih Bay.
Oral folklore in the form of amyth (mite) tells that the name Biak comes from the Burdam clan who left Biak Island due to their quarrel with the Mandowen clan. According to the story, the Burdam clan decided to leave Warmambo Island (the original name of Biak Island) to settle somewhere far away, so that Warmambo Island disappears from sight. When they left the island, occasionally looking back they saw that Warmambo Island was still visible above sea level. This condition causes them to say, "v'iak wer" or "v'iak", meaning 'he appears again'. The word "v'iak" was later used by those who went to name Warmambo Island.
Meanwhile, the name Numfor comes from the name of the island and the group of native inhabitants ofNumfor Island. The merging of the names Biak and Numfor into one name and its official use occurred when the regional council was formed in the Schouten Eilanden, named the Biak-Numfor Regional Council, in 1959.[4]
The Biak people who inhabit the Biak Islands are known as formidable ocean explorers. Just like the abilities of theBugis people, they explored the seas from theMaluku Islands,Sulawesi,Java, to theMalacca Peninsula. The exploration of the Biak people was carried out because of the motive of its geographical location which was less economically productive, less fertile land resulting in a shortage of food sources, apart from that there are also reasons of competition (korfandi), namely the existence of disputes between ethnic groups, as well as disputes over customary rules within the Biak people. However, the thing that most motivated the Biak people to explore was the need for food, which at that time was a prolonged drought in Biak, starting sailing around Cenderawasih Bay to the Raja Ampat Islands. Due to their resilience, they controlled the trade and political aspects in the coastal areas of northern Papua. Evidence of the power of the Biak people can be seen from the naming of several cities on the north coast of Papua which use words in theBiak language, among othersManokwari from the wordmnuk war which means 'old village', andSorong which comes from the wordsoren.
The trading activities of the Biak people use a trading partnership system between friends calledmanibobi, namely by sailing and trading around. The commodities they traded includedsago, barkmesoyi,paradise bird, andslaves. They sell variouscommodities to several archipelagosYapen-Waropen,Wondama Bay, and Dore Bay, Manokwari, Amberbaken, until it spreads to various waters of the archipelago. The Biak people also had trade relations with sailors fromTernate,Tidore,Halmahera,Flores,Gebe,Sulawesi,Buton,Seram, andChina. As a result of this trading partnership, the Biak sailors obtained goods in the form ofporcelain from China,beads,machetes, iron spears, bracelets made of iron or metal, as well as various types of cloth from the region and several areas visited. Even the sailors of the Biak people during the Dutch colonial era were known asPapoesche Zeerovers which means 'the Papuanpirates'. They sailed using traditional sailing boatswai roon which were usually used for war with other ethnic groups and capturing slaves. Thewai mansusu andwai papan were used for trading. The Biak people has also mastered good navigational science by relying on the constellations, usually the starsOrion (Sawakoi) andScorpio (Romanggwandi).[5]
The Biak people still have an ancient culture that refers to localanimist beliefs before the arrival of theGospel in Papua. This belief system is further emphasized through a series of ritual ceremonies called Wor. Wor in Biak language means 'traditional song and dance'. A child who is affected by an epidemic is considered to have bad luck, failure in farming, even accidents are considered a disaster so that traditional ceremonies must be held to ward off illness or danger. Wor is an expression of the activities of all aspects of the life of the Biak people. Several traditional ceremonies that are still often performed by the Biak people are called Wor traditions.
The Iyakyaker tradition of the Biak people, namely the tradition of giving a dowry, including pigs, beads,jars, antique plates, plantation products, marine products, hunted animals, and various other assets owned. Antique plates (ben bepon) and jars are still often found in Biak traditional rituals. The giving of a dowry is also known asararem.[6] Thisararem can be collected through the traditional procession of the Biak people from childhood to adulthood. These include taking the child out of the room, carrying the child, cutting hair, Taking a child to church all of this must be done with the payment of a dowry from the clan or in-laws in the Biak traditional customs. This ararem will later be stored in a special place calledarem. After determining the prospective child-in-law, the parents will invite maternal uncles and aunts to propose marriage. If the woman accepts the man's proposal, the woman will propose the amount of the dowry to the man. The amount of the dowry (mahar) is usually determined by the woman's status, which can be seen from her family background, virginity, as well as beauty and currently the education factor also determines the amount of the dowry. Another unique thing when delivering the dowry in the form of antique plates and vases is the presence of theRed and White Flag as a symbol of the national emblem accompanying the dowry procession, This tradition has only developed since Papua became part ofIndonesia in 1963. On the other hand, the woman who has accepted the man's family also prepares something in the form of household goods so that in living her life in the future she will not experience difficulties. Apart from that, it also becomes a basic attitude for women which in the future will not result in a negative assessment from men.[7]
The traditional food and staple food of the Biak people ispokem orotong which is more popularly known as 'Papuan wheat'. Pokem is a flour from themonocotyledon class of plants,gramineae family,sorghum genus, sorghum rumbrawer (L) species similar towheat (avena sativa). This plant is native and cultivated by the Biak people as a staple food onNumfor Island. It resembles rice, but with smaller stalks. The plant lives for 90 days, and the pods can be harvested every three months. This means it can produce four harvests a year. For the Biak people, there are five types of pokem plants, consisting ofpokem resyek (brown pokem),pokem verik (red pokem),pokem vepyoper (white pokem),pokem vepaisem (black pokem), andpokem venanyar (yellow pokem).[8]
The process of processing pokem by removing the pokem grains from the stalk, the grains are pounded to remove the skin, similar to the process of turning rice into rice, then sifting to separate the grains and the skin of the rice. Pokem is then ground again until smooth, and ready to be cooked. The cooking process itself involves boiling the pokem flour with water then adding thick coconut milk to make it tasty, stir until thick, then add granulated sugar and milk, stir until yellowish and then ready to serve.[9]
The Swabra clan is an old clan of the Biak people located in Padwa village, Yendidori district. In Padwa village, still find old graves in the crevices of the coral cliffs on the beach, skulls on the edge of the cliff, or in wooden coffins that are still neatly arranged. This relates to the burial customs of the Biak people in ancient times. However, since the Gospel entered Biak in 1855, this traditional burial has rarely been carried out.[10]
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