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Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows events in the history of Western New Guinea (Papua and West Papua) from the 1950s to the 1990s. Archival black-and-white footage of local highland people, Protestant missionaries and Indonesian leaders and soldiers is shown as the narrator describes the events that led to Western New Guinea being signed over as a province of Indonesia in 1962. Subsequent events, including fighting between the Indonesian army and the local people, are then described.

Educational value points

• The clip provides historical information about the western area of the island of New Guinea, a territory claimed by the Dutch in 1828. The Dutch established trading posts there after the British claimed south-east New Guinea and Germany claimed the north-east in 1884. The Netherlands retained Western New Guinea until the New York Agreement of 1962 paved the way for the formal transfer of administrative authority of the territory to Indonesia in 1963.

• Indonesian President Sukarno (1901–70) played a key role in the dispute between Indonesia and the Netherlands over the sovereignty of Western New Guinea, which began in 1949 when Indonesia gained its independence from the Netherlands. Indonesia argued for control of Western New Guinea and in 1961 President Sukarno threatened to invade the region and occupy it by force.

• Archival footage of the United Nations (UN) Assembly accompanies the narrator’s discussion of the UN’s role in the resolution of the dispute between Indonesia and the Netherlands over Western New Guinea. The 1962 New York Agreement awarded Indonesia administrative control over Western New Guinea pending the outcome of a national vote to determine Papuan independence or integration with Indonesia.

• Indonesian President Suharto (1921–) held a referendum on self-determination. Participants could choose to remain part of the Netherlands, to integrate with Indonesia, or to become independent. The 'Act of Free Choice’ held between July and August 1969 delivered a unanimous vote for integration with Indonesia; however, this has been contested because only around 1,022 West Papuans, out of a population of 800,000, were chosen to participate in the vote.

• The clip mentions the Papuan resistance to Indonesian control of Western New Guinea. The Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM or Free Papua Movement) has grown out of this resistance movement. Conflict has arisen over human rights abuses of the local people and the environmental degradation caused by the Grasberg Copper Mine.

• The clip indicates some of the ongoing controversy surrounding the status of Western New Guinea. Following Indonesia’s successful claim to the region it was known as West Irian (1962–73) and was renamed Irian Jaya in 1973. Indonesia granted the area limited autonomy in 2001 and the name Papua was adopted in 2002. The name West Papua is used among west Papuan separatists to refer to the entire Indonesian part of New Guinea.

• The contact with missionaries referred to in the clip resulted in the conversion of a majority of the people in this region to Christianity. The Dutch administration largely neglected the area and the Catholic and Protestant missionaries who came with the Dutch in the 1860s provided education and health services. Australian missionaries arrived in the 1950s and made contact with the Dani people. The Evangelical Christian Church is still active in the region.

• The clip includes archival footage of highland people, possibly inhabitants of the Ilaga Valley. Papua, Indonesia’s largest and eastern-most province, contains 1 per cent of Indonesia’s population and the West Papuans do not share the ethnic background, language or religion of the rest of the population of the Indonesian archipelago. West Papua has a rich cultural diversity with at least 250 ethnic groups officially recognised.

• A filmic montage of archival film accompanied by a voice-over narration written by director Chris Hilton is employed to present this version of the historical events leading to, and including, the ongoing resistance to Indonesian control over West Papua. The narrative presented in the clip represents a point of view that is widely, but not universally, accepted.

This clip starts approximately 6 minutes into the documentary.

We see Archival black-and-white footage of local highland people during ceremony. We then see Protestant missionaries in crowds of Western New Guineans. We then see Indonesian leaders and soldiers with guns and locals in military camps. There is footage of the Indonesian official at United Nations assembly signing the papers. We then see black and white footage of Western New Guinean children in school with an Indonesian teacher. We then see young children playing volleyball and wrestling in a village field. The final shot is a close up of an elder local man with traditional costume.

Narrator Even though the Dutch first claimed west New Guinea in 1850, they never penetrated the highlands to have any control over valleys like Illaga. It was the zeal of Protestant missionaries only 38 years ago that made them the first white people to enter this populous valley. When the country of Indonesia was born from the ashes of Dutch East Indies, they argued that west New Guinea should also be part of their new nation. After 13 years of dispute, and finally military action in 1962, the United Nations stepped in. Despite protests from Papuan representatives, the UN then resolved that it become a province of Indonesia, and it was renamed Irian Jaya. As part of an effort to exert control over the highlands, an Indonesia government post was then established in Illaga valley. Since the takeover, there have been sporadic skirmishes throughout the province between lightly armed Papuan groups and the Indonesian army. In the past 30 years, about 20,000 people are believed to have died in the conflicts.