Papuan Genocide: Anatomy

The notion of ‘civilising primitive Papuans’ has distorted Papuans’ perception of the world and themselves. This distortion began with how New Guinea and its people were described in early colonial literature: unintelligent pygmies, cannibals, and pagan savages – devoid of value. Not only did this depiction foster a racist outlook on Papuans, but it misrepresented reality as it was experienced and understood by Papuans for thousands of years. Colonial literature says almost nothing of value or virtue about the people of New Guinea. This was the first attack against the humanity of Papuans.

Papuans have been dislocated from the centre of their cultural worldview and placed on the fringes of the grand colonial narratives; Papuans remain trapped by colonial symbols, images, and lexicons at the margins of this civilizational project. Only now do we understand that there is nothing grand about these projects. Colonizers, however, hold the myth of the grand narrative of civilising the world through their religious doctrines and myths, cultural and racial ideologies, and weapons.

This pernicious colonial cultural lens has been used to launch a program of what I call the dehumanization and re-humanisation of Papuans. Papuaphobia is that lens. It is conveniently used as a Procrustean Bed to measure, dissect and reconstruct the alleged ‘primitive’ Papuans. In the process, the Original Papuan is being remade and destroyed. Our father, Bernard Narokobi, was conscious of this problem when he said, “Will we see ourselves as we truly are, or will we see ourselves as shadows and images of others?”

Indonesia attempts to answer Narokobi’s question by forcing Papuans to view themselves through the lenses of ‘Pembangunan’ (development) and ‘Kemajuaan’ (progress). Indonesians are framing these concepts as good news to assure Papuans of their salvation. But, under the guise of these concepts, Jakarta poisons Papuans with unhealthy food and drink, alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, and ammunition. The rest of the world watches this genocide idly while exploiting West Papua’s resources for themselves.

These tragic circumstances have led to the destruction of Papuan clans and tribes, languages, and oral cultural information regarding their original world. Papuans will face the same fate as Indigenous populations in Australia, Canada, America, and New Zealand if they remain in Indonesia or vice versa.

The psychological underpinnings of this pathological colonial genocide

Colonisers of the West and East conditioned Papuans to feel guilty for their identity and existence, and institutionalized this guilt as a virtue. Colonisers market these two products – guilt and virtue – as a means of legitimizing their deep psychological control over the colonised and oppressed. Colonisers act as narcissistic sociopaths: they promise development, happiness, or even heaven, while they commit genocidal and homicidal acts against Papuans. They portray themselves as the ‘civilised’ and the oppressed as ‘uncivilised’ – a psychological manipulation that allows them to avoid being held accountable. Indonesia’s labelling of Papuans as criminals has its roots in this pathological colonial mindset that drives their entire project of ‘civilisation’.

Jakarta makes Papuans sick: it diagnoses, writes prescriptions, and provides medication to cure the very same illnesses that it causes. Jakarta exterminates Papuans by controlling both poison and antidote. Papuans are cut off from their roots and float like water lilies on the surface of Indonesia’s settler colony – they appear free and vibrant, but in reality, their roots have been severed. This is by far the most sophisticated psychological weapon ever devised by any self-aware species in the known universe.

Growing up in my village, I had no idea I was black and Papuan, or that being black and Papuan was bad, until I moved to colonial towns and cities. From that moment on, I knew I was living in a system designed to oppress and alienate people like me.

On both the Eastern and Western sides of this illegal colonial border, Papuans still live in a state of an induced coma. Papuans in West Papua are being reprogrammed to think of themselves as Asians, while Papuans in Papua New Guinea are being reprogrammed to think of themselves as Australians. As a result, Papuans have been physically, cosmologically, linguistically, and epistemologically dislocated from the centre of their own stories and forced to live in the stories of others.  We are being held captive within this imaginary illegal colonial border.

As long as we remain in this colonial induced coma, we will forever be beggars on our streets, while thieves from the West and East continue to drain the blood of ancient lands, seas and forests.

One of the (martyred) great sons of Africa – Steve Biko – already warned us: The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.