Noken (from Biak: inoken) is a traditional Papuan multifunctional knotted or woven bag native to the Western New Guinea region, Indonesia. Its distinctive usage, which involves being hung from the head, is traditionally used to carry various goods, and also children.
 Noken bags | |
| Type | Knotted or woven bag |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Western New Guinea, Indonesia |
| Noken multifunctional knotted or woven bag, handcraft of the people of Papua | |
|---|---|
| Country | Indonesia |
| Criteria | Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, Oral traditions and expressions, Performing arts, Social practices, rituals and festive events, and Traditional craftsmanship |
| Reference | 00619 |
| Region | Asia and the Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2012 (7th session) |
| List | Need of Urgent Safeguarding |
Cultural significance
In 2012, noken was listed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists as a cultural heritage of Indonesia. Women carrying noken are still a common sight in Wamena.
On December 4, 2020, Google celebrated noken with a Google Doodle.
Usage in politics
Red: practiced the noken system for the 2019 elections. Pink: used to practice the noken system, but not for the 2019 elections
In several areas of Central Papua and Highland Papua, noken – instead of the usual ballot box – is preferred as a way to place ballots, where it is recognized as a ballot tool and system where Big man (primarily the chieftains) cast vote for the tribe or noken gantung, where the tribe members and the chief collectively decide to vote unanimously in the regional leadership elections. Opponents to the system has challenged the use of noken as fraught with potential for abuse and have challenged it in the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, although the court defended the limited use of noken for avoiding inter-tribal warfare, and regencies that have used One man, one vote system cannot return to noken system.
For the 2024 election, twelve regencies in Central and Highland Papua used the noken system to some extent, and seven of the twelve regencies used the noken system in all polling stations.
Gallery
- Selling and Making Noken
See also
References