That Indonesia’s ongoing occupation of West Papua continues to be largely ignored by world governments is one of the great moral and political failures of our time. West Papuans have struggled for more than fifty years to find a way through the long night of Indonesian colonization. However, united in their pursuit of merdeka (freedom) in its many forms, what holds West Papuans together is greater than what divides them. Today, the Morning Star glimmers on the horizon, the supreme symbol of merdeka and a cherished sign of hope for the imminent arrival of peace and justice to West Papua. Morning Star Rising: The Politics of Decolonization in West Papua is an ethnographically framed account of the long, bitter fight for freedom that challenges the dominant international narrative that West Papuans' quest for political independence is fractured and futile. Camellia Webb-Gannon’s extensive interviews with the decolonization movement’s original architects and its more recent champions shed light on complex diasporic and intergenerational politics as well as social and cultural resurgence. In foregrounding West Papuans’ perspectives, the author shows that it is the body politic’s unflagging determination and hope, rather than military might or influential allies, that form the movement’s most unifying and powerful force for independence. This book examines the many intertwining strands of decolonization in Melanesia. Differences in cultural performance and political diversity throughout the region are generating new, fruitful trajectories. Simultaneously, Black and Indigenous solidarity and a shared Melanesian identity have forged a transnational grassroots power-base from which the movement is gaining momentum. Relevant beyond its West Papua focus, this book is essential reading for those interested in Pacific studies, Native and Indigenous studies, development studies, activism, and decolonization.

Ethnography that explores the political landscape of West Papua and chronicles indigenous struggles for independence during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

This is the remarkable and highly entertaining story of a young English woman who made a two-year expedition through the highlands and jungles, and along the rivers, of Papua New Guinea - alone. 1,000 miles of this journey was undertaken on a stallion called "Horse." Christina had many adventures and hair-raising moments, yet this courageous woman makes light of all of them. Christina continues the tradition of such renowned travellers as Gertrude Bell, Isabella Bird and Ella Maillart.

For the last five decades, the Dani of the central highlands of West Papua, along with other Papuans, have struggled with the oppressive conditions of Indonesian rule. Formal education holds the promise of escape from stigmatization and violence. Dreams Made Small offers an in-depth, ethnographic look at journeys of education among young Dani men and women, asking us to think differently about education as a trajectory for transformation and belonging, and ultimately revealing how dreams of equality are shaped and reshaped in the face of multiple constraints.

Fully revised edition of a book first published in 1990. Includes new prologue and author's note. An exploration of Papua New Guinea's past and present including analysis of the country's independence in 1975, the Bougainville crisis, and relations with Indonesia. Includes index. Author is an ABC correspondent who has reported on Papua New Guinea for more than a decade. He won a Walkley Award for his coverage of the Aitape tsunami disaster in 1998, and was awarded an AM in the 2000 Australia Day Honours list.

The sources of the Papua conflict are grouped into four sets of issues. First, is the problem of the marginalization of indigenous Papuans, and the discriminatory impacts on them resulting from the economic development of, political conflicts in, and mass migrations to Papua since 1970. To respond to this problem, an affirmative policy of recognition must be developed to empower indigenous Papuans. The second issue is the failure of development, particularly in the fields of education, health, and people's economic empowerment. This requires a new paradigm of development, focused on improving public services for the welfare of indigenous Papuans in the villages. The third main problem is the contradictions that exist between Papuan and Jakartan constructions of political identity and history. This problem can only be settled through dialogue, along the lines of the dialogue that was conducted for Aceh. The fourth issue is accountability for past state violence toward Indonesian citizens in Papua. For this, a road to reconciliation must be cleared, on which courts of human rights and the disclosure of the truth are the means of choice for law and justice to be upheld in Papua, for the victims and their families in particular, and all Indonesian citizens of Papua in general. The above four issues and agendas can be woven together to form a mutually interrelated policy strategy for comprehensive long-term resolution of the Papuan conflict. The atmosphere of Reformasi, and the existence of the accommodative Law No. 21/2001 on Special Autonomy (UU Otsus), a responsive central government, as well as the very large size of Papua's budget, lead the LIPI team to have faith that the problems of Papua can be resolved with justice, peace and dignity.