Kepi is a town in
Mappi Regency
Mappi Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province of South Papua. It was split off from Merauke Regency (of which it had been a component part) on 12 November 2002. It covers an area of 25,609.94 km2, and had a population of 81 ...
,
South Papua
South Papua, officially the South Papua Province (), is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province located in the southern portion of Western New Guinea, Papua, following the borders of the Papuan customary region of Anim Ha. Formally establ ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. Following the formation of
Mappi Regency
Mappi Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province of South Papua. It was split off from Merauke Regency (of which it had been a component part) on 12 November 2002. It covers an area of 25,609.94 km2, and had a population of 81 ...
in 2002, the town became its administrative seat.
History
At the time of the
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
arrival, the region was inhabited by various tribes speaking
Trans–New Guinea languages
Trans–New Guinea (TNG) is an extensive Language family, family of Papuan languages spoken on the island of New Guinea and neighboring islands, a region corresponding to the country Papua New Guinea as well as Western New Guinea, parts of Indone ...
, such as the
Awyu, the
Yaqay, or the
Kayagar. The inhabitant of the area were mostly left alone by the outside world until the first half of the 20th century, when the
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
started taking an interest in the region. In 1926,
a penitential colony for political prisoners was established further inland at
Tanahmerah, although it would take ten more years for the first Dutch government post to be established in the Mappi area. In 1936 a military post known as
Mappi Post was set up on a hill named Tamao, at the confluence of the
Digoel and
Kawarga River, to prevent
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim. More portable body parts (such as ear, nose, or scalp) can be taken as trophies, instead. Headhunting was practiced in historic times ...
raids which were creating unrest and migrations, and assert Dutch control over the area.
[Boelaars, Jan H. M. C. (1981). pp.4–5.] Following the Japanese invasion of
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
in 1942 and the subsequent bombing of the post by Japanese aircraft in 1943, the post was essentially abandoned and only manned by a
coastwatcher
The Coastwatchers, also known as the Coast Watch Organisation, Combined Field Intelligence Service or Section C, Allied Intelligence Bureau, were Allied military intelligence operatives stationed on remote Pacific islands during World War II ...
. In 1944, the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
moved in, installing a radar station which had been previously operating in
Bupul, with the goal of spotting
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese airplanes coming from the west to attack
Merauke
Merauke is a large town (''kelurahan'') and an administrative district (''distrik'') in Merauke Regency of South Papua Province, Indonesia. It is also the administrative centre of Merauke Regency, and is considered to be the easternmost city in I ...
. However, as the Japanese airfields were wiped out by allied
aerial bombardments, the radar station became useless and the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
departed in 1945.
Shortly after the war in 1946, the administrative center of the Mappi district was moved from the
Mappi Post to the village of Kepi,
a Protestant mission with a church was established there, and catholic religious orders soon followed, such as the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours in 1948. The Dutch were also successful in eradicating the
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim. More portable body parts (such as ear, nose, or scalp) can be taken as trophies, instead. Headhunting was practiced in historic times ...
raids in the area, the last one occurring in 1949. The brothers of Our Lady of the Seven Dolours introduced a regional project with an agricultural centre in Mappi. This Welfare Plan Mappi and the Regional Plan, which encouraged the cultivation of cocoa and rubber, were joint ventures of the mission and the Dutch government.
[Ipenburg, A. N. (2004)] The Christian missionaries carried on their work after the withdrawal of the
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
from the area in 1962, and the subsequent transfer of
Western New Guinea
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region ...
to
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
.
in 2002, following the separation of
Mappi Regency
Mappi Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province of South Papua. It was split off from Merauke Regency (of which it had been a component part) on 12 November 2002. It covers an area of 25,609.94 km2, and had a population of 81 ...
from the
Merauke Regency
Merauke Regency is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency in the far south of the Indonesian province of South Papua. It covers an area of 45,013.35 km2, and had a population of 195,716 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 2 ...
, the town became its administrative seat.
Geography
Kepi is located along the
Obaa river, and is surrounded by swamps. During the rainy monsoon, the rivers in the region regularly overflow their banks and often flood large areas for several months.
Climate
Kepi has a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Af'') with heavy rainfall year-round.
Demographics
At the 2020 Census the population was 8,394, according to the Indonesian Government ''Badan Pusat Statistik'' (2021).
Transport
Kepi is served by regular flights from
Merauke
Merauke is a large town (''kelurahan'') and an administrative district (''distrik'') in Merauke Regency of South Papua Province, Indonesia. It is also the administrative centre of Merauke Regency, and is considered to be the easternmost city in I ...
and
Mimika
Mimika Regency is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province of Central Papua. It covers an area of 21,693.51 km2, and had a population of 182,001 at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. which grew to 311 ...
through the nearby
Kepi Airport
The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword from , itself a re-spelled version of the , a diminutive form of , meaning . In Europe, the kepi is most commonly associated with French m ...
. The town can also be reached by boats going up the
Oba river, itself connected to the
Digul
The Digul River () is a major river in South Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is the fourth longest river in New Guinea after Sepik, Mamberamo, and Fly. With a total length of and a drainage basin of .
Course
The ri ...
and the
Odamun rivers through the
Mappi river.
Notes
References
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{{Refend
Regency seats of South Papua