Those Who Have to Scavenge for the Future

According to Emiliana, this situation changed in the late 1980s after their village became one of the areas affected by the disposal of tailings, the waste from PT Freeport Indonesia's (FI) gold mining production.

Kompas/Totok Wijayanto

Emiliana (left, 62) lives in a hut that she built in her former village which is currently razed to waste sand, stone and mine waste because it has become one of the tailings waste disposal routes.

Emiliana Wamena's eyes filled with tears when she talked about her homeland. The 61-year-old woman suddenly stopped talking, pointing at the barren sandy and rocky soil in front of her.

“I cry every time I remember this village. This is a place I used to find food for the women, younger generation and men [of the village]," she said in a trembling voice when we met on Monday (25/10/2021).