The Village in which Saved its Culture, Leatherback Turtles in addition to its Coral Reefs
Turtle
There are only a few beaches inside planet on where the giant leatherback turtle lays its eggs. The leatherback is usually the fourth largest reptile in addition to the largest ever found was over three metres long by head to tail. in which is usually believed in which the critically endangered species only nests in two locations in Indonesia – in Tambrauw, near Sorong in addition to Raja Ampat (both locations are in West Papua). I decided to take a visit to the lesser known beach in Raja Ampat in addition to discovered in which the remote village of Yenbekaki was preserving more than just these ancient giants of the sea. The village was truly awe-inspiring; not only had they protected their local culture in addition to traditions, they had also protected their coral reefs by the destructive practices of a nearby mining company.
As we arrived on the shore, a kind, elderly man led us up to his house where we took refuge by the storm of rain in which had suddenly unleashed itself. He was Bapak Agustinus Mayor in addition to he worked for the organisation Conservation International (CI), which has many conservation posts positioned strategically throughout Raja Ampat. CI is usually a pioneering organisation in identifying biodiversity hotspots across the planet in addition to then protecting these irreplaceable habitats; some of Indonesia’s richest in addition to most important ecosystems are considered hotspots in addition to many locations in Raja Ampat have been identified. We rested which has a warm cup of tea in addition to asked Agustinus about the leatherbacks which laid their eggs on the nearby beach of Warebar with its 2.5 km of sand.
Artistic Structure
“inside past, people by Raja Ampat used to come in addition to steal the eggs in addition to hunt the turtles nesting there because they were easy prey. Even the hawksbills were consumed. nevertheless ever since Yenbekaki in addition to Conservation International started out the post, the number of turtles nesting there began to enhance every year. When we first started out, only two leatherbacks appeared per month. right now, we can have leatherbacks almost every night after a few years of protection,” explained Agustinus.
Feeling enthusiastic, we asked Agustinus if we could visit the beach in addition to he smiled in addition to shook his head. “The breeding season for the leatherback starts in March in addition to ends in August. Same with the hawksbill. The olive ridley turtle starts first in February, once the olive ridley starts, then the leatherback begins. The leatherback turtles like the beach because the waves are strong in addition to there is usually no coral reef – in which incorporates a sandy bottom. They always return to the beach on which they were born.”
We were just a few weeks early! Sensing our disappointment, Agustinus’ daughter showed us some photos of the hatchlings by their breeding program. “We also keep some of the eggs to hatch, to enable the turtles to reach maturity in addition to survive without predation. Predators include wild boar, sea birds which know the season of the hatching, monitor lizards in addition to also humans. Saltwater crocodiles seen near the beach can be predators of the turtles.”
The rain had started out to subside in addition to I could see a distinct pattern inside sea – half of the ocean was right now dyed brown. One of the villagers on the beach noticed my gaze in addition to explained in which a nickel mining company had loosened the land in addition to caused run-off; whenever in which rained, soil could be seen inside seawater. The soil in addition to chemical pollution began to destroy the coral reefs in addition to because of the protests in addition to blockades, the company stopped mining.
Koreri Symbol
We decided to take a walk through the village. Artwork adorned every crevice – each house had a painted entranceway in addition to the artwork often depicted traditional symbols such as the koreri. Some of the paintings depicted their ancestors by ancient times in addition to their mythologies. “This particular is usually to remember our heritage in addition to our roots,” explained Agustinus. “The government asked us if we could like concrete pavements nevertheless we said no – we prefer sand doing sure in which we can yosim.” Yosim is usually a traditional Papuan dance involving musical instruments which are played for long hours as the locals circulate the village. In fact, the village had no phone reception, internet or even public electricity, nevertheless in which felt more alive than some of the different villages I had seen in Raja Ampat. The people of Yenbekaki seemed so confident, so secure in their place inside universe. They did not have in which look in their eyes of ‘is usually the grass greener over there?’ which seems to be sweeping across the connected globe.
I wanted to find out more about their ancient culture in addition to I was invited by a man called Alex, who had long dreadlocks, to visit the community house in which evening. I ventured in shyly, in which was dark in addition to we used candles. A man with strong eyes in addition to a big afro was sat on the floor in addition to he hesitated before welcoming us into the circle. “This particular is usually where we play music every night,” explained Alex who then proceeded to show me the triton shells which were played like trumpets. inside circle of musicians, a huge guitar, maracas in addition to a tifa made by the skin of the monitor lizard were right now being played. “We are in a band called Sanggar Sarak Yenbekaki,” explained Alex. “Sometimes the Raja Ampat government sponsors us to do tours throughout Java in addition to Jakarta. We also perform at the Waisai annual cultural festival every October.” I later discovered in which they had performed with the American musician Arrington de Dionyso in East Java, in a combination of experimental jazz in addition to traditional Papuan music.
in which evening we ate warm rice in addition to vegetable soup in Agustinus’s house in addition to shared stories. The moon was full in addition to we wandered onto the beach. The only shop inside village sold mie goreng in addition to sweets in addition to I was glad in which we had brought vegetables with us on our trip. I was astonished by how much the villagers didn’t have on This particular island, nevertheless I was also amazed by their determination to keep their culture in addition to to protect their coral reefs in addition to the sacred marine life in which they seemed to worship. The richness of Yenbekaki village was hidden – every grain of sand was a pathway towards something ancient in addition to big.
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The Village in which Saved its Culture, Leatherback Turtles in addition to its Coral Reefs
The Village in which Saved its Culture, Leatherback Turtles in addition to its Coral Reefs