Page 269 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

consider themselves immigrants or people of Maluku or East Nusa Tenggara, but identity
themselves as Papuans which is the land of their birth.
In the 16th century after the arrival of Europeans in Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara,
assimilation occurred as a result of intermarriage between Europeans and people of
Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara. People married due to love, but also because of their
desire to gain influence among the indigenous people or the people of Maluku and NTT. A
valid marriage in the church and state usually happened between Europeans and women
or men of indigenous noble status. Because these marriages were legally registered, the
offspring of these marriages usually got special attention and treatment socially and
economically. For example, they got a better education. Besides marrying local people of
high status, the Europeans had secret relationships with the common indigenous people or
slaves. These marriages usually were not legally recognized and they were not registered.
Many East Nusa Tenggara residents who are the offspring of these mixed marriage to the
Portuguese and the Dutch have foreign faces.
In Papua, it was a little different. Mixed marriage occurred commonly among the
teachers of the gospel from Maluku. When the Zending Mission began to spread the
gospel in Papua, to swell the numbers of Catholics and Protestants, the Dutch sent people
from Key in Maluku and from Ambon to Papua. In addition to helping build their flock,
they opened up educational facilities. Some of these teachers got married to the Papuans.
Some were also married to Key people themselves. These mixed marriages in Papua have
resulted in descendents with lighter skins and curly hair.
In the early 20th century, the Dutch government sent migrants from Java to Merauke.
Some of these migrants survived and some moved back. The migrants who survived and
lived in Merauke, have colored the diversity of the population in Merauke. The descendants
of the migrants are known as Jamer (from Java-Merauke).
Because of the infrastructure development and the exploitation of natural resources
such as oil mining in Sorong, the Dutch government brought more workers into the area.
In addition to outside labor, there were native Papuan workers as well. The presence of
these migrants to Papua, led to the transfer of knowledge to some of the Papuans, who
worked in the same field. In addition, there were also mixed marriages between migrant
workers and the Papuans, especially between outsider men and indigenous women. After
Papua became part of Indonesia, the members of the colonial army (KNIL) who joined the
Indonesian military got married to people from major ethnic groups such as Javanese, and
Sundanese. The offspring of these mixed marriages had changes in the physical biological

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