Affirmative Policy on Belis in Marriage Traditions at Family Institutions in the Abenaho District of Papua
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Papua as a region that has cultural richness as an implication of its diverse society viewed from a socio-cultural background. This study focuses on one of Papua's socio-cultural traditions, namely belis in the traditional marriage tradition of the Abenaho community from a sociological perspective. This study applies a qualitative approach with a case study design focused on five villages in the Abenaho District area. The first finding indicates that the traditional practice of belis in the local indigenous community's wedding procession is still preserved until now, even though the area is experiencing social dynamics and development at the Yalimo Regency level. Belis has been proven to have functions, namely social functions, economic functions, and cultural functions and the formation of identity. However, the belis tradition does not last statically, but dynamically both in terms of social, economic, and cultural aspects. Socially, the belis tradition creates harmony but sometimes causes tension in interactions between families. Second, the affirmative policy on belis which is manifested in the Village Regulation, has been proven to create quite significant changes in both social, economic, and cultural aspects. The affirmative policy has also been proven to raise new hopes for indigenous people in the Abenaho District which has the potential to be more integrative. Affirmative action policies on dowry have made a significant contribution to the creation of more inclusive social integration.
Author: Sem Kepno
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4409735326