West Papua is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea. The customary owners of the land are the 4 million Indigenous Papuans who belong to 253 distinct Peoples, who depend on hunting and gathering, fishing, and small-scale agriculture for their livelihoods. Papua is rich in biological diversity, and home to one of the largest tropical forests in the world.
The Indigenous Peoples of West Papua declared their independence from the Netherlands in December of 1961. A few short months later, they were invaded by Indonesia. Since then, they have been subjected to severe repression and human rights violations. It is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 West Papuans have been killed since Indonesian colonization.
Today, violence against the Indigenous Peoples of West Papua continues unabated, as their territories are being taken over by mining, logging, and palm oil plantations. To remove Papuans from their homelands, entire villages are burned, and those who speak up in their defense are criminalized, attacked, and killed.
Land is Life works with Indigenous Peoples of West Papua to map traditional territories, support the work of Indigenous Peoples’ rights defenders, build the capacity of their organizations, and campaign to protect their rights and territories.
