Spaces & Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies

Abstract

The indigenous Muslims of Papuans who inhabited the south-coast regions to the bird’s head of the Papua archipelago have been practicing not only Islamic teachings, but also Arab-Malayan traditions, which are then considered as Islamic traditions. However, since political policy of special autonomous regions are being implemented followed by affirmative policies for indigenous rights, the Papuan Muslims seem to have lost their destiny as Papuan when they must be identified as Muslim. On the other hand, their Muslim identity would not be counted when they must be identified as Papuan. Through an ethnographical lens and employed by Gramsci’s idea of hegemony, this study explores the process of negotiation of Papuan Muslim traditions under domination of Arab-Malay traditions over religious popular culture. The studies suggested that the rise of cultural awareness of Papuan Muslims began once the Papuan special autonomous region was applied, and the process of indigenization and contextualization of Islam in local contents was being negotiated in religious space. Those local traditional music, arts, and dances, which have expelled from religious space, are now being contested in religious space with Arab and Malay traditions.