The Origin of the Name Papua

 

Papua Region Map – Indonesia

The name of the large island at the eastern tip of Indonesia, formerly known as Irian, is now known as Papua. Where did the name Papua, as we use it today, originate?

Hari Suroto, a researcher at the Papua Archaeology Center, said that most scientific articles write that the word Papua comes from Old Malay as 'papuwah,' meaning 'curly hair.'

"In the records of 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish sailors, the word 'Papua' was the name for the inhabitants of the Raja Ampat Islands and the coastal areas of the Bird's Head," Hari Suroto said, as quoted by Tempo on Thursday, October 29, 2020.

The term 'sup-i-papwah,' comes from the Biak language. It means 'land under the setting sun.' At that time, the inhabitants of Biak Island could see a large island to the west, the island under the setting sun.

This large island, stretching from Papua to Papua New Guinea, is geographically known as New Guinea. The western part of New Guinea is part of Indonesia, currently part of Papua Province. The eastern part is part of Papua New Guinea.

The name New Guinea was given by Spanish sailor Ynigo Ortiz de Retes in 1545. He named the region New Guinea because the people there resembled the African peoples of the Guinea Coast.

In 1884, the British colonial government in Port Moresby proclaimed the southeastern part of New Guinea its territory. That same year, the German flag was raised in northeastern Papua New Guinea. The Dutch then acted, unwilling to allow western New Guinea to fall under European control.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo danced with the Papuan people

The Netherlands claimed territory from Raja Ampat to 141 degrees east (a line stretching east of Jayapura City to Merauke). The boundary between Papua and Papua New Guinea was formalized on May 16, 1895, in the Dutch Gravenhage. The border separating Papua and Papua New Guinea was outlined in the Staatsblad van Nederlandsch-Indie, 1895, Nos. 220 and 221.

This Dutch claim was finally recognized by the United Kingdom in 1895, followed by German recognition in 1910. This international boundary line remains in effect today, separating the country of Papua New Guinea from the Indonesian province of Papua.