Indonesia’s Island of Papua is home to the highest island peak in the world, Puncak Jaya. It is also the tallest mountain in the southwestern Pacific at 4,884 meters. Just as the peak reaches high to the skies, so do the cassowary feathers that adorn the bridal head ornament of the Ewer tribe from the Province of West Papua.
The feathers make up the siluke, which conveys deep cultural significance, and represents the bride’s social status, role in the community, tribal affiliation, as well as her connections and adherence to ancestral traditions.
Below the siluke is the juprew, made of shells and colorful beads placed in elaborate designs which often carry specific meanings of the tribe’s mythology, cosmology, and history. As such, the juprew symbolizes an Ewer bride’s identity and heritage, along with the part she plays in preserving her culture.
