Weaving a Future: Ma’ya Women and Traditional Handicrafts in Raja Ampat

We walk through Go village toward an abandoned office building at the edge of the settlement. At first glance, it seems an unlikely place to find one of the last remaining centers of traditional Ma’ya handicrafts.

“It belonged to the mining company that extracted nickel from the hills above,” explains Wolter, one of the Ma’ya tribal representatives and now a member of the local parliament in Waisai. “But when the fish started dying, the company had to close. Since then, the building has remained empty.”

Together with Wolter and his wife Keysa, we cross a narrow stream on an improvised tree trunk bridge before entering the former office building. The long corridors and empty offices are reminders of a different chapter in the village’s history.

In one of the former open-plan offices, we meet Mama Yuli Daam and her husband sitting on the tiled floor of the empty room they now use as a workspace.

Yuli Daam is known in the area for her traditional handicrafts. Using fibers from the sago palm, rattan, and pandanus leaves, she creates baskets, bags, and woven items by hand. The materials are colored with natural dyes that have been used in the region for generations.

Yuli Daam, her husband, and Keysa Bara discussing traditional weaving patterns in Waifoi Village, Raja Ampat.

“The work is for my son,” she says quietly. “So he can go to university.”

In Indonesia, higher education requires tuition fees, something many families in remote regions struggle to afford.

Some of her products are now sold through “Toko Matenhun,” a small local shop in Waisai on Waigeo island, that gives villagers the opportunity to sell agricultural and handmade products. The first store was established in 2022, followed by a second location near the harbor in 2025.

“The second shop is more central,” says Keysa, who is the president of the foundation that runs Toko Matenhun. “But the harbor area is still under construction, so there are not many visitors yet.”

The initiative was also supported by Reef Guardian e.V. through funding from the Saxon Small Projects Fund.

“We wanted to create opportunities for local communities and help people participate more directly in the region’s tourism economy,” says Anja Hagedorn, chairwoman of the organization.

As we leave the abandoned building, woven baskets and bags remain stacked against the peeling office walls once used by the mining company.

Many of the women who once learned these techniques from their mothers and grandmothers are growing older. Fewer young people choose to continue the practice, and traditional handicrafts increasingly compete with cheap manufactured goods.

Yet in Mayalibit Bay, the craft survives.

Toko Matenhun in Waisai helps connect local artisans with visitors and tourists.

For many years, these products were made primarily for family use or local exchange. Through Toko Matenhun, some of them are now finding their way to tourists and visitors, creating new opportunities for artisans in remote communities.

It may not change the future of Raja Ampat overnight, but it helps ensure that traditional knowledge remains part of everyday life rather than becoming a memory of the past.

Handwoven bags made from pandanus leaves, sago palm fibers, and natural dyes, sold through Toko Matenhun.

Learn more about the organizations mentioned in this story:

Toko Matenhun supports local artisans and producers in Raja Ampat.

Reef Guardian e.V. works with local partners on conservation, environmental education and sustainable livelihood projects in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.