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Souvenirs that tourists can and must not buy in Manokwari
Every time I accompany tourists traveling around Manokwari, I will bring them to Papuan artists who make souvenirs, or handicrafts. I know that foreign and domestic travelers usually buy them as memories associated with their vacations in this town or as gifts to their loved ones who do not make the trip with them. Souvenirs that the Papuan artists sell have been a significant financial contributor for their livelihood. It is not surprising if they feel happy when tourists come to their houses and buy their artworks. Artists work hard to make beautiful looking souvenirs. Most raw materials of the souvenirs are taken from their surroundings which may give negative impacts to the environment. Before you buy gifts or souvenirs, please read my following guidelines:
Souvenirs that you can buy in Manokwari town
If possible buy souvenirs that are made locally. There are souvenir
shops in this town that only import handicrafts or products from other
towns and sell them to you. If possible, avoid them. If you buy locally
made souvenirs, you have directly supported the home industries and the
artists. You have provided jobs for them. As my recommendation,
please buy souvenirs or artworks directly at the homes of the local
artist. Here are the names of the artists in Manokwari and their
addresses:
1. Mrs. Marice Fonataba, a woven cloth artist (where you can buy beautiful shawls, and bags, and etc.)
Address: Kompleks Missi Manokwari
2. Mr. Lucky Kaikatui, an oil painting artist (where you can buy various Papuan paintings)
Address: Kompleks Missi Manokwari
3. Mr. Awom, a wood carving artist (where you can buy wooden artworks)
Address: Jalan Merdeka Manokwari
4. Mr. Tonci Kreya Papuan, an intellectual, a multi talented artist (most of the big statues in public spaces in
this town are created by him)
Address: Kwawi, Ketapang Manokwari,
5. Mr. Asaribab, a painter and a wood carving artist
Address: Anggrem, Manokwari
6. Xavier Bookstore (selling postcards, and paintings)
Address: Jl. Brawijaya, Manokwari
In general, buy souvenirs that are created from creativity of the artists. In other words, creative economy should be the back-bone of the souvenir industry if we really want to encourage tourism but at the same time discourage the destruction of the forest and marine environment.
Souvenirs that you MUST NOT buy
Don't buy souvenirs that are made of corals. As Manokwari is a coastal town, uninformed handicraft producers will be tempted to make artworks using corals. That's the easiest way to make money. Coral reefs look beautiful in the water. If you are a scuba diver, you know how beautiful and how important they are to the marine environment. A healthy coral whose size is the same as your lump needs at least twenty years to reach that size. Corals play vital roles as source of food and home for the marine animals.
This town is also located near the tropical rainforest where beautiful birds such as (paradise birds, cokcatoo, and hornbill), reptiles and mammals live in it. The same as what I have mentioned above, please do not buy souvenirs that are animal fur or skin. If you buy them, you have directly encourage the elimination or the hunting of threatened animals. The local Papuan usually have beautiful headdress and other articles made of the skin and feather of paradise birds. They use them in traditional ceremony or rituals. Live birds, and reptiles from Papua are expensive in the world market, the government bans the trading of these endangered animals.
Eco tourism is the type of tourism that support the environment where tourists visit. When tourists or travelers buy will locally made souvenirs they have directly supported the local economy thus discouraging the hunting of wild animals and minimizing the destruction of the environment. Besides, bringing positive economic impacts to the financial condition of the local people, eco-tourism will educationally help all the stakeholders of this industry to appreciate the nature and preserve it for future generation.
If you are not sure where to go for buying souvenirs in Manokwari, while in this town, you can contact me. I will bring you to the homes of the artists that I, as a local tourist guide and travel writer, have recommended in this website. This is my email: peace4wp@gmail.com and my cell phone number: 081332245180.
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