Nabire is a district in the province of Papua, Indonesia, which borders the province of West Papua. The district capital is located on the back of the island of Irian, namely the Nabire district. The total population of Nabire in 2021 is recorded at 172,960 people.
Nabire Regency is located in the Cendrawasih Bay area of Papua Province and the Pacific Ocean. Located on three plates of the earth, this area is prone to earthquakes. One of them occurred on February 6, 2004, followed by an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale on November 26, 2004 in Nabire.
Of course that’s not all interesting things from Nabire. Here are six interesting facts about Nabire Regency which are summarized by Liputan6.com from various sources.
1. The history of the name Nabire
There are several versions of the origin and meaning of the word Nabire. Based on a story from the Wate tribe, the word “Nabire” comes from the word “Nawi”, which is the natural condition of Nabire where there used to be a lot of crickets, especially along the Nabire river. Over time, the word “Nawi” changed its pronunciation to Nawire and finally to “Nabire”.
According to the version of the Yerisiam tribe, Nabire comes from the word “Navirei” which means an abandoned area or an abandoned area. The mention of Navirei appears as the name of a place where a peace feast was held between the tribes of Hegure and Yerisiam.
The pronunciation of Navirei was later changed to Nabire which is officially used to name the area. The decision was made by the first Regent, namely the late AKBP Surojotanojo.
Another version of this tribe that Nabire comes from Na Wyere, which means lost area. This understanding is related to the occurrence of disease outbreaks that attacked the local population, so many left Nabire until the area became deserted. Gradually the mention of Na Wyere changed to Nabire.
Another version of the Hegure tribe is that Nabire comes from Inambre which means the coast is overgrown by palms such as broom palm trees, forest palm trees, nibun trees and other types of trees. Due to the relationship/communication with the immigrant tribes, over time the mention of Inambre changed to Nabire.
2.Sand Fish
Small islands in the Moora Islands, Cendrawasih Bay area, Nabire, have unique fish. The people of Mambor Island call them sand fish because they like to hide by immersing themselves in the sand when they feel threatened.
This fish lives in rocky and sandy seas with a depth of one to 90 meters. These sandfish also inhabit clear shallow areas with sandy bottoms, usually around seagrass and coral meadows.
This fish is 15 to 20 cm long with the front of the head forming a sharp tip. The snout is very blunt and the mouth is like that of a parrotfish. By the people of Mambor, Moora Islands District, Nabire, sand fish are caught for consumption.
Usually fish are caught at low tide. To find this fish requires special knowledge, by looking at the signs on the surface of the sand there are small rocks as a marker of this fish nest. There is a belief that if a woman has not been able to catch this fish, it is considered unfit for marriage.
3. Kapotar Island
Kapotar Island is an area of Mambor Village, Moora Islands District, Nabire Regency, Papua. Kapotar Island by the people of Mambor is used as a food barn island. The waters are a place to look for marine products, while the land is a place for gardening, hunting moles and maleo birds and taking other forest products.
The waters are rich in various types of marine life, the land is overgrown with coconut trees, bananas, breadfruit, sago, areca nut, melinjo, pineapple, matoa, langsat, durian and root crops.
There is a saying on Mambor Island, “The fish has not been dead for an hour and has been eaten.” That is, because the fish in question is still fresh. The catch of residents is also selective. Only large fish or consumption size (fishing results or balobe -catch fish at night at low tide), while small fish are released, left, and not taken.
4. Turtle Conservation
Since the last few decades, the turtle population in the world is shrinking very quickly, due to the impact of illegal egg hunting by naughty hands. A tourism area based on turtle conservation was opened in Nabire Regency as an effort to save these reptiles
With the existence of ecotourism, people are directed to divert their activities from exploitation activities. The ecotourism is in collaboration with residents of Makimi Village, Makimi Nabire District with the Marine and Fisheries Service of Nabire Regency.
In Makimi Village, there is a Turtle Conservation Group which is assisted by the Marine and Fisheries Service of Nabire Regency, namely the Turtle Conservation Awareness Group in Makimi Village, Nabire Regency. This group received serious attention from the government, such as the visit of the Regent of Nabire to this area in mid-2018, at the same time releasing 200 turtle calves.
Makimi Village is later expected to become a turtle tourism village which socially and economically can provide maximum benefits for the welfare of the community while still prioritizing the protection and sustainability of turtles.
5. Nabire Tour
One of the mainstay of Nabire’s natural wealth is a row of stunningly beautiful beaches. There is Monalisa Beach which is taken from the name of the owner of a famous resort in the Nabire area which is located not far from the beach.
The main attraction of this beach lies in its unique and unspoiled scenery. You will also see there is a bridge with a bale on each side that can be used by tourists to relax.
There is Gedo Beach which only takes about 20 minutes drive from the center of Nabire City. The stretch of white and soft sand immediately greets you when you arrive at the location.
For those of you who want to swim and see sharks directly, you must visit Sowa Beach in Nabire. This beach is known for its tame sharks. To see these sharks, you must first cross the island and ask the locals for help. That’s because only they can summon sharks.
In addition to sharks, another attraction of Sowa Beach is that its shoreline reaches 10 kilometers. The sea water is also very clear and natural.
There is also Bihewa Waterfall which has a height of approximately 40 meters and has seven levels. The easiest level and most visited by tourists is the second level. On the second level, we can see beautiful scenery and very green trees and comfortable.
However, it takes a struggle to reach the top because you have to pass through many obstacles such as giant trees and large rocks that block the road. Biweha Waterfall is the highest waterfall in Papua.
6. Nabire’s Special Culinary
Nabire has several special culinary delights, especially from Mambor Island. One of them is banana and taro cooked in coconut milk. How to cook bananas and taro, namely horn bananas and taro boiled using coconut milk with salt seasoning, boiled until the coconut milk runs out.
It’s very tasty. This menu is served with stir-fried papaya leaves. Even though it is made from papaya leaves, it is guaranteed not to be bitter.
Another culinary is braised sea shells. Other processed shellfish are cooked in bamboo. The scallops are broken, the meat is taken, then the mussel meat is put in a bamboo, and heated in hot coals. There are even instant clams, which is a type of shellfish that can only be found in a saltwater lake in the middle of Kapotar Island, the clams are doused in hot water, left for a while, eaten immediately, the taste is very sweet, not fishy.
Another unique culinary is the burned banana stick sky, eaten with raw old coconut, without being grated, the old coconut is eaten immediately. Another culinary is dry sago flour mixed with sago caterpillars, wrapped in sago leaves and then heated on coals.
The fat of the sago caterpillar will seep into the sago flour, giving it a distinctive, savory taste, even without seasoning. This natural recipe makes the Mambor people live long. At the age of 60, they are still strong in gardening and fishing and many are even more than 90 years old.