Meeting Challenges in Indonesia’s Papua Region

Indonesia’s Papua Region – Decked out in a chicken feather hat and a western football garb, Dernus Jikwa carries a bunch of sweet potato leaves on his left arm to feed an army of furry rabbits inside a wooden cage.

“People come and buy these rabbits…they use them for food and rituals …,” the father of two said excitedly in broken Indonesian, referring to medicinal rituals which often involve animals as sacrificial objects.