Agats | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Agats at noon | |
  Agats Location of Agats in Papua | |
| Coordinates: 5°32′30″S 138°08′00″E / 5.54167°S 138.13333°E | |
| Country |  Indonesia |
| Province | Papua |
| Regency | Asmat Regency |
| District | Agats |
| Population | |
| • Total | 8,998[1] |
| Climate | Af |
Agats is a town in Asmat Regency, Papua, Indonesia and the administrative center of the Asmat Regency.
History
editThough Agats had been populated by the Asmat people from some time, as a largely waterfront settlement, the first non-native settlement originated in the late 1930s when a Catholic mission was established in the area, and later in 1938 the Dutch East Indies government established an outpost there.[2] Due to the Second World War, however, the Dutch abandoned the Agats post in 1942 due to the Japanese presence.[3]
In 1953, the Catholic mission was made permanent and the following year the Dutch government of Netherlands New Guinea established a permanent post in Agats. During this period, Asmat woodcarving became popular, with collectors, museum representatives, ethnographers and scientists visiting the area.[3] One such person, Michael Rockefeller, disappeared after departing Agats for Southern Asmat in 1961, and was presumed dead.[4]
On 23 November 1969, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Agats was established, with American Alphonse Sowada becoming its first bishop.[5] The Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress (Museum Kebudayaan dan Kemajuan Asmat) was opened in Agats in 1973.[3]
After Asmat became its own regency in 2002, Agats - being its administrative seat - saw a boost in building due to a need for government facilities and an increase of migrants, largely Bugis and Moluccans.[6] In recent years, the wooden roads in Agats began to be replaced by concrete ones.[7]
Geography
editAgats is located on the delta of the Asewets River, in a tidal lowland area.[8] Due to this, during high tides the water may rise up to 5 meters above sea level, resulting in the unique construction of the town in which all buildings and roads are elevated with wooden, and more recently concrete, structures.[9]
Administratively, the urban settlement is located within the kampung of Bis Agats.[10]
Transport
editAgats is served by pioneer, government-subsidized flights from Merauke and Mimika through the nearby Ewer Airport (IATA: EWE), in addition to passenger boats to Timika and Merauke.[11] Electric motorcycles are used for transport in the city, with an electrical charging station ran by PLN.[12]
References
editFootnotes
edit- ^ Statistics Indonesia. "Kecamatan Agats Dalam Angka 2017 (Agats Subdistrict in Numbers, 2017)". asmatkab.bps.go.id (in Indonesian). p. 15. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ Lubis 2017, pp. 75, 77.
- ^ a b c Wassing, René (2012). "History: Colony, Mission and Nation". Asmat Art: Woodcarvings of Southwest New Guinea. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462909643.
- ^ Hoffmann, Carl (March 2014). "What Really Happened to Michael Rockefeller". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ^ "Agats Diocese Indonesia". Database of Catholic Dioceses in Asia. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ^ Lubis 2017, pp. 77–78.
- ^ "Hebatnya Motor Listrik di Asmat". Kabar Papua (in Indonesian). 4 April 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ^ Wambrauw & Morgan 2015, p. 73.
- ^ Wambrauw & Morgan 2015, p. 75.
- ^ "PERATURAN KEPALA BADAN PUSAT STATISTIK NOMOR 37 TAHUN 2010" (PDF). Statistics Indonesia. p. 779. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ^ Feb Janur, Katharina (4 February 2018). "Asmat, Kota Seribu Papan di Atas Rawa". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ^ Siagian, Wilpret (8 February 2018). "1.920 Motor di Asmat Pakai Tenaga Listrik". detikfinance (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 March 2019.
Bibliography
edit- Wambrauw, Elisabeth Veronika; Morgan, Te Kipa Kepa Brian (2015). "Understanding the Differing Realities Experienced by Stakeholders Impacted by the Agats Municipal Water Supply, Papua" (PDF). Water Utility Journal. 11: 73–91.
- Lubis, Basauli Umar (2017). "Agats: The Waterfront City of the Asmat" (PDF). Nakhara. 13: 75–82.