goodmorningpapua.com – In some literature, the indigenous people of Jayapura did not come from the city of Jayapura as we know them today. It means, there are other areas out of Jayapura from which the ancestors of present-day people of Jayapura have come. This story is not a mere figment, the area exists and it is not far from the city center of Jayapura. For about 20 minutes with taking a motorized vehicle to the city of Abepura, there is a bay with an island in the middle being evidence of the origins of the ancestors of the Jayapura indigenous people. This bay is Youtefa Bay and the island is called Debi Island.
If we want to go to Debi Island, which means the beautiful island, we have to take a motor boat departing from the small port at Youtefa market. The journey for tracing the origins of Jayapura people was started by paying a motorboat rental of Rp. 10,000. This trip does not take long, only about 10 minutes and we will arrive at the small port of the Debi Island.
As the name implies, this small island looks very beautiful and fascinating. Clumps of coconut trees points the calm and beautiful scene of the ocean. Inevitably the breeze is soothing to the heart. Then, we will be welcomed by a gospel obelisk in the land of Tabi, Papua. This magnificent monument was built because of Debi Island was the main evidence of how Christian missionaries spread the teachings of the love of Jesus at the Jayapura region and its surroundings. These missionaries are those who have previously taught Christianity at the Mansinam region, Manokwari. They set foot on the Debi Island for the first time and began His mission of love.
Not far from such monument, there is a small sandy field used by local children for playing football. Uniquely, at high tide, this field will disappear since being submerged by the sea water. This field will appear again at low tide. This attractive natural condition is one of the tourist appeals of Debi Island.
In addition to natural riches and gospel stories, the Debi Island also has interesting historical stories. In accordance with our original purpose of tracing the footsteps of the Jayapura community’s ancestors, we must also know that Debi Island is the centre of the activities of the two oldest villages at the Tanah Tabi area of Jayapura. These villages are called Tobati and Enggros. Tobati is located some distance away and being integrated to the coastal area of Hamadi, Jayapura. Meanwhile, the second one, Enggros Village, is in the middle of the sea in Youtefa Bay and is directly connected to the beautiful Debi Island via a wooden bridge.
According to the stories of several local tradition elders, before existing of the Jayapura city, the center of civilization in the Tabi Papua area was only centered around the Debi Island, as well as in Tobati and Enggros villages. After the introduction of the Christian teachings and the developing civilization, the community expanded their living area to the mainland, and the civilization was begun in the city of Jayapura. Although the indigenous people of Enggros are widespread, until now they are known to have characters and traditions that are somewhat different from those of the mainland Papuans.
Enggros village, is a unique village located in the middle of the ocean. This village seems to be floating on the waters of Youtefa Bay. Even though it is located by the sea, all the facilities in this village are adequate enough. Starting from the police post, clinic, office of village chief, church, to clean water and electricity facilities, all of them are available in this village. The central government of Papua province seems to pay enough attention to this village, it is because this village is considered to be the origin of the Jayapura city , the capital of Papua. Even, at present the government is fostering Enggros village to become a tourist village which of course can attract both domestic and foreign tourists.
In this quiet traditional village, we can enjoy a scenery of a floating village. The road in the form of a wooden dock spreads widely to connect the buildings to another. Typical wooden houses of coastal Papuan people are also the main landscape of tourism in this village. Don’t worry about the scorching sun, because some parts of the road in Enggros village are already equipped with roofs, so in the raining or in the heat of the sun, it won’t be a problem.
If we go deeper and deeper into the village, we will find a lot of fish ponds which are one of the traditions of the Enggros people. They generally breed milkfish and bobara fish which are popular enough around Papua. The onother resident activity is farming. The condition of the village, which is in the middle of a landless ocean, does not decrease the enthusiasm of the Enggros people to cultivate ornamental plants at their village. The residents cultivate these plants in small pots that are placed in front of their own houses. The cultivation of ponds and ornamental plants are one of the government efforts carried out in connection with the development of Enggros as a tourism village in the future. The residents of Enggros Village are known to be friendly and wise in life.