The Story of Raja Ampat – Told by the Papuan Locals in Waisai
‘So the history of Raja Ampat in the beginning.
There is a husband and wife named Alyab and Boki Deni who live at Wawage, Kali Raja, located in Wawiyai village. They usually went out to find food at the seashore and riverbank. Boki Deni found seven eggs.
They brought it home to cook and then intended to consume it. Suddenly, these eggs hatched into five human babies. They were wrapped with a shining, bright white cloth. It surprised Alyab. This must be children from god.
The sixth egg turned stone, and the seventh egg became a ghost. The stone egg at Waiyai doesn’t hatch. People in Waiyai built a house for it. They put it in a house and wrapped a mosquito net on it, and then they tried it with a white cloth around it.
They wrapped it with a white cloth in the front of that house. They put two other stones to guard. So they said it’s a guard to protect the house. Every year the people make a tradition. A tradition is to wash the stone, then the water they use to baptise. So they make a special traditional ritual for the water to baptise.
Back to the five eggs that hatched and transferred into humans. Four boys became rulers of the area by the title Fun. In the beginning, they lived together in Kali Raja, then the four kings spread to Papua land because of conflict. Fun Giwar remained living in Kali Raja, becoming the king of Waigeo. Fun Tusan became the king of Salawati, and Fun Mustari, the king of Misool. Fun Kilmuri moved to Batanta.
While Pin Take, according to a myth, she fell pregnant without a husband. That put her brothers to shame. So they made her throw herself out into the ocean. Pin Take was stranded, but she survived on Numfor Island. Then Pin Take met a myth figure of Biak Numfor and married him.
They had a boy named Kurabesi. When Kurabesi became an adult, he returned to Waigeo and stayed with his uncle Fun Giwar to help King Tidore in the war against Temate. In that war, Kurabesi brought victory against King Temate.
As a war prize, Kurabesi married the princess Tibore bo Boki Taiba. Kurabesi and his wife returned to Wawiyai, Waigeo, Raja Ampat until the end of his life.’
About Meridian Adventure Dive
Situated in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Meridian Adventure Dive is a PADI 5 Star Resort and winner of the PADI Green Star award. Scuba divers enjoy our professional services that have become synonymous with both the PADI and Meridian Adventure names.
