The Amungme - Part 1

I was instantly captivated when I learned that there are still
people today in our world who live the way humans did 20
to 30,000 years ago. They are the Amungme people of West Papua,
Indonesia. The Amungme are an ancient and beautiful culture in one of the last
isolated corners of our planet.
What makes their story even more compelling, is that they
had no contact with the rest of the world until the 1960s. It
was then that an American mining company, Freeport McMoran, along
with the Indonesian government, launched a massive copper
and gold mining operation on traditional Amungme land.
As a result, the Amungme people have faced and endured a
wave of cultural, environmental and civil abuse, the like of which they had
never known before.
Today, over 40 years later, the Amungme are still struggling
to gain some control over their disappearing land and culture. They are
insisting on their rights as the original land owners, and if
nothing else, they are hoping to be recognized and respected
as equal human beings.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Ramin
• Francis
• Assadi
• Amungme
• West
• Papua
• irian
• jaya
• Indonesia
• Freeport
• McMoran
• gold
• copper
• mine
• traditional
• lands
• human
• rights
• abuses
• Carolyn
• Cook
• environment

[brunvit]

Beautifully shot, edited and narrated movie. The story is so much like those I have heard and seen in adjacent West Papua's regions: exploitation of natives' valuables with little or nothing in return.

I too would like to go back one day. That day however will probably never come.

I love you West Papua!