PAPUA’S exoticism is not limited to koteka (penis sheath), noken (traditional bag from tree bark or orchid), and wooden statues. For the past several years now, a group of indigenous businesspeople in Jayapura have been developing Papuan batik.

Papuan batik is actually similar to other types of batik in the archipelago. The difference is only in the motifs. Whereas the motifs in batik from Solo and Yogya are symmetrical, in batik from Papua it