Preserving Kamoro and Amugme languages in the digital age

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TIMIKA, Papua (ANTARA) – At the parking lot for four-wheelers, Yopi Toisuta, head of the Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports Services of the Mimika District of Central Papua, showed a worried look while listening to questions about measures to revitalize the local language in the region.

“Thank you for your question. This type of question reminds us to pay attention to an important part of the culture of the Mimika Papua people, which is the Kamoro and Amugme languages,” he said in a conversation with ANTARA.

Kamoro and Amugame are the two native languages of Mimica County, divided by region. Amugame is used by mountain dwellers, while Kamoro is used in daily conversation by coastal residents.

Greetings in Kamoro and Amugome are widely known and must be used in all official and unofficial events in Mimika. In Amugome, the word “Amolongo” means congratulations, and in Kamoro, “Bimao Witimi” also means congratulations.

In the Mimika District Government office environment, greetings must be made in both languages to respect the wisdom of the local culture.

Another measure taken earlier was the publication of books in Kamoro and Amugme languages to limited groups in schools and local district organiza- tions (OPDs).

Through these language books, the regional government encourages the younger generation who are receiving formal education to participate in preserving the local language through learning.

The local language can be included in the study curriculum of formal education units as a local content subject as part of the preservation and love of local culture.

Everyone living in the area must also appreciate the local culture and help preserve their local language to prevent it from becoming extinct.

The next step is to publish digital versions of books in Kamoro and Amugme languages to reach a wider audience.

Two generations have passed away

Today, the population of the Mimika region is very diverse. As a result, the number of people who speak the local languages, Kamoro and Amugme, is decreasing. This cultural mix has led to the erosion of the region’s native culture.

Faced with this reality, generations of indigenous people of the Kamoro and Amugme tribes have been unable to communicate in their local languages.

Leonardus Tumuka, an indigenous Kamoro scholar, said the younger generations of Kamoro and Amugmi people can only understand their dialects but can no longer speak them.

The current situation of the younger generation is worrying that the second generation of immigrants will lose their self-identity because they no longer master their mother tongue.

Therefore, local communities need to work hard to preserve their dialects. If a family no longer speaks a dialect, then the dialect is endangered.

Kamoro and Amugome languages must be included in formal education as local content subjects at primary, lower and upper secondary levels.

It is also important to initiate a local language village planning program as part of efforts to prevent the extinction of Kamoro and Amugme languages.

Currently, the local community is also facing challenges in the digital age. The younger generation will easily obtain external information as material for mass consumption and will not give priority to the local language.

If Kamoro and Amugome languages can be included in the digitization system and made into modern versions, it will go a long way in saving the local languages from extinction.

Mobile phones have become a big need in society today. Hence, introducing regional languages through digitization can be an opportunity.

The introduction and cultivation of regional languages can take advantage of digitization, not only in the form of language dictionaries but also in the form of Kamoro and Amugome folklore, for example.

Taking other areas of Indonesia as an example, several folk tales from one region were made into animations. These local wisdoms were modernized to preserve their culture.

Revitalization

As a concrete manifestation of the revitalization of the Kamoro and Amugme languages, the Regional Regulatory Authority of the Mimika District of Central Papua (Bapemperda) discussed the draft regional regulations for the protection of regional languages and literature with the Papua Provincial Language Center in 2023.

Mimika Bapemperda chairman Iwan Anwar said the discussion of the draft was aimed at outlining the importance of preserving local regional languages.

The maintenance and preservation of local languages must be based on legislation to protect local cultural assets.

The discussion and drafting of these local regulations will lead to the approval of local regulations in 2024.

This is important because the younger generation tends to use foreign words rather than the local language to communicate, which poses a threat to the survival of local wisdom.

Therefore, there is a need to encourage the inclusion of regional languages in the local content curriculum of formal education units so that local regional wisdom can also be applied in schools.

The regional regulations are based on Law No. 24 of 2009 on “National Flag, Language, National Emblem and National Anthem”.

In addition, Government Regulation No. 57 of 2014 regulates the development, guidance and protection of language and literature.

The proverb “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” reminds us that protecting local languages is not only an obligation of cultural observers, but also an integral part of a joint effort and a form of shared commitment to guard Papua’s land and preserve local wisdom.

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