Papua

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Indonesia

PAPUA (until 2002 IRIAN JAYA)

Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on October 23, 2001.
The design is similar to the former arms of Irian Jaya, with the new provincial name and the addition of the motto Karya Swadaya, or On own power.

The previous arms of the province Irian Jaya were :

The three pillars in the arms represent the three aims of the campaign of former president Sukarno in 1961 :
- to expel the Dutch from the area
- rise the Indonesian flag in Irian Jaya
- prepare for mobilisation

In 1962 the Dutch handed over the power to the Indonesian government.The wreath around the pillars is made of rice and cotton, two main crops in the province.
The chief shows the three main mountains in the province, Mount Yamin, Mt Mandala and Mt Trikora.

Literature : Image obtained from a stamp; background from Th.Peters, Amsterdam.