Kanum people (Kanume) are an ethnic group that inhabits the border area of Merauke Regency in South Papua and Papua New Guinea. The Kanum is considered a subgroup of the Marind, but they have their own language which is the Kanum language that belongs to the Yam language family. This language is closer to the Yei language and other tribes in Papua New Guinea than to the Marind language, which is spoken by the largest ethnic group in Merauke.[1]
Kanum is one of the tribes living in the Wasur National Park area. Within the Kanum tribe, there are several clans, including Mbanggu, Ndimar, Ndiken, Sanggra, Mayuwa, Gelambu, and Kul.[2]
People
The Kanum people are spread across several villages along the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border, particularly in Merauke Regency. In Indonesia, the Kanum tribe has a vast indigenous territory within the Wasur National Park with a topography of swamps, forests, and savanna plains. The Kanum people hunt animals like wild boars, deer, and wallabies using traditional methods with bows and arrows, spears, and machetes.[3]
The Kanum people also collect plants from nature, such as sago palms, and cultivate tubers like lesser yams (Kanum called it nai); these two plants serve as their staple foods.[4] Additionally, Kanum utilizes eucalyptus wood, which is abundant in the Wasur National Park, distilling the oil and then sells it to other regions to boost their economy.[5][2]
The Kanum people are scattered throughout the Sota [id] and Naukenjerai [id] districts in Merauke Regency. The Kanum people can be divided into smaller groups based on their languages. For example, speakers of the Kanum Smarky live in Rawa Biru [id], speakers of the Kanum Sota live in Sota [id], speakers of the Ngkâlmpw or Ngkalembu/Ngkolmpu live in Yanggandur [id], and speakers of the Barkari live in Kondo [id].[6][7] The Kanum languages are classified as endangered because there are only few speakers. In 2024, only 80 people spoke the Smarky, while 100 people spoke the Kanum Sota. There is also the Kanum Badi language, with only 10 remaining speakers.[8]
The Kanum people also live in Papua New Guinea and still maintain frequent contact with the Kanum tribe in Indonesia. They often visit the Sota Border Crossing Post (PLBN) on foot or by bicycle for tens of kilometers from their villages to buy groceries in exchange for agricultural products such as fish and hunted game. They can easily enter Indonesian territory with cross-border documents. The Kanum people from Papua New Guinea are also frequently invited to participate in certain celebrations in Sota.[9]
^Evans, Nicholas (2018). "The languages of Southern New Guinea". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 641–774. ISBN978-3-11-028642-7.
