Lifting Papuan Culinary Wealth, One Million Hiloi Festival Ready To Be Held In Jayapura

JAKARTA - As a step to advance typical Papuan culinary and strengthen local cultural identity, the Jayapura Regency Government is preparing the One Million Hiloi Festival which is scheduled to take place in June 2025.

This festival is an event to celebrate the wealth of the culinary tradition of the Sentani Tribe as well as introduce the legacy of the special eating utensils that accompany it.

Head of Culture Division of the Jayapura Regency Tourism and Culture Office, Fredrik Modouw, explained that this event is a strategic momentum to revive the existence of Hiloi traditional wood fork-shaped foods that have been used for generations to eat papeda, a staple food for the Papuan people.

Hiloi is not just a tool to eat, but also a cultural symbol that is closely related to the identity of the Sentani Tribe. Its existence cannot be separated from Helai (the papada area of pottery) and Hote (a side dishes from clay), all of which contain traditional, spiritual, and social values," said Fredrik in Sentani, as quoted by ANTARA.

This festival will be held in Ebungfa Village, Ebungfauw District, and is designed as a form of preserving the unobjected cultural heritage that is deeply embedded in the lives of indigenous peoples.

According to Fredrik, Hiloi is not only present in the dining room, but also in various traditional ceremonies, large family gatherings, and religious rituals. Not infrequently, this tool is inherited from generation to generation as a symbol of ancestral honor.

In its implementation, the One Million Hiloi Festival will involve various parties, ranging from local craftsmen, traditional leaders, culinary arts players, to the younger generation. The planned activities include the Hiloi craft exhibition, workshops for the manufacture of traditional eating utensils, competitions for eating papeda, as well as cultural discussions about the role of eating utensils in the lives of the Papuan people.

Furthermore, Fredrik emphasized that this festival is not only aimed at preserving culture, but is also part of a tourism development strategy based on local wisdom. We want to foster pride in regional identity in the midst of modernization. Through this festival, tourists can also witness the process of making Hiloi and feel the sensation of eating papeda in traditional ways," he said.

The Jayapura Regency Government cooperates with traditional institutions, the arts community, and the village government to ensure this festival becomes an inclusive cultural event, educates, and has an impact on regional tourism promotions.