The Koteka Tribal Assembly ( id, Dewan Musyawarah Masyarakat Adat

Koteka The koteka, also referred to as a horim or penis gourd, is a penis sheath traditionally worn by native male inhabitants of some (mainly highland) ethnic groups in New Guinea, Indonesia to cover their penises. The koteka is normally made from a ...

, abbreviated as DeMMaK) is a cultural organisation of the

tribes of Papua region in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It was established in January 2000 as an outcome of discussions among the elders of several tribes in the highlands of the region. The main goal of the assembly is to peacefully, democratically and legally work towards the recognition and protection of customary laws, values and beliefs of the

Koteka peoples The Koteka are seven major ethnicities of the highlands of Western New Guinea in Indonesia (particularly Papua province) with a common culture: the Lani, Mee, Amungme, Moni, Damal, Yali and Nduga. The Koteka share their identity with other ...

. Many activists from the organization who were involved in peaceful protests have been tortured and forced into exile. DeMMaK was in May 2000, prior to the Papuan People's Congress II (2000) held in Jayapura. The field leader of DeMMaK is

Benny Wenda Benny Wenda is a West Papuan independence leader and Chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). He is an international lobbyist for the independence of West Papua from Indonesia. He lives in exile in the United Kingdom. ...

. Sam Karoba is the founder and international chair of DeMMaK. Though DeMMaK is generally supportive of the PDP, it accuses the latter of being too accommodating of the government. Koteka Tribes consists of seven major tribes in the central and southern highlands of West Papua; namely Lani, Mee, Amungme, Kamoro, Yali, Damal, and Moni with other sub-tribes such as Nggem, Walak, Hubla, Kimyal, Momuna, Ngalik. The above is the division of the Koteka Tribes according to foreigners. The people from the Koteka Tribes themselves classify the Koteka Tribes into four major tribes: Lani, Mee, Loma and Yali Tribes. It is organised in as a confederation that consists of elders who independently and autonomously join and or leave the assembly as they wish, and contribute to the organisation according to their willingness and capabilities in order to achieve their goal. DeMMaK is managed under coordination of a Secretary-General that is assisted by Coordinators based on activities carried out within the Assembly.

References

{{Reflist Western New Guinea

See also

References