On the shores of Lake Sentani, covered in lush sago palms and greenery, the Cycloop Mountains loom majestically, creating a distinctive Sentani landscape. The sunny afternoon on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, evoked a cheerful, free, and natural atmosphere.
In this atmosphere, Sentani Traditional Community Leader, Ramses Wali, highlighted the need to protect sago palms in Jayapura Regency, preventing them from becoming extinct due to the conversion of sago palms to housing and urban development.
“Sago palms, especially in Jayapura Regency, are on the verge of extinction. Previously, sago palms in every village have now been converted into housing for urban development. Ultimately, sago palms are becoming increasingly extinct,” said Ramses.
This concern has actually been anticipated for a long time. During the leadership of former Regent Yan Pieter Karafir, the government issued a regional regulation on sago protection. However, the regulation was deemed to have fallen into disrepair over time.
“Year after year, the community no longer appreciates the Sago Protection Regulation issued by former Regent Yan Pieter Karafir. As a result, sago plantations were sold to entrepreneurs for housing developments. And sago in Jayapura Regency is starting to become extinct,” he explained.
However, Ramses mentioned that there are still areas where sago plantations remain intact, namely in three villages: Yoboi, Simporo, and Babrongko (Yosiba).
“The sago is still intact in these areas, and they have never sold their sago land to housing developers. Because the people in these three villages understand and cherish the importance of this, they maintain their sago plantations well,” he said.
Ramsses said that 34 types of sago are still cultivated in these three villages. For the local people, sago is more than just a food crop.
“For the Yosiba community, sago is life. Sago is the pride of the Sentani indigenous people. Sago also embodies the authority of the indigenous communities in the villages,” he emphasized.
He explained that sago plays an important role in Sentani customs, especially in wedding ceremonies.
“If we have sago, we can bring it along with pigs and bananas to be served at a daughter’s wedding. That’s where the dignity of the Sentani indigenous people is seen. A village with customs and a sago hamlet means the village is alive,” said Ramses.
According to him, the existence of a sago hamlet is a measure of the life and death of a traditional village.
“With a sago hamlet, people can judge that the village exists and is alive. Let’s look at the villages around Sentani and see whether they have sago hamlets or not. If a village doesn’t have a sago hamlet, it’s actually on the verge of extinction,” he said.
Ramses concluded by explaining the Sentani people’s philosophy on sago. “Sago is life. Wherever sago grows, wherever a village has a sago hamlet, that village will continue to thrive for the present, the future, and the future. The Sentani people say the sago hamlet is (Rawali), meaning there is life in the present and the future,” he concluded.
