Yosepha Alomang
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Yosepha Alomang | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1940s |
| Other names | Mama Yosepha |
| Occupations | human rights defender and environmental activist |
| Children | 6 |
| Awards | Yap Thiam Hien Award (1999) Goldman Environmental Prize (2001) |
Yosepha Alomang (born c. 1940s), also known as Mama Yosepha, is an Amungin Indonesian indigenous human rights defender and environmental activist. She has been awarded the Yap Thiam Hien Award and Goldman Environmental Prize.
Alomang was born in the 1940s, in Tsinga, Papua, Indonesia and is of the Amung people.[1] The province of Papua, is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.[2] During her childhood, Alomang moved around, along with other villagers, because of orders from the colonial Dutch government and then the Indonesian government.[1]
Alomang married Markus Kwalik in the 1970s and they had 6 children.[1][3] When her husband failed to pay her dowry according to customary law, Yosepha herself tried hard to save and pay it, to avoid her family's anger.[1]
In 1977, hundreds of Amungme people cut American gold mining company Freeport-McMoRan's pipeline, because the company was considered to have seized land belonging to the Amungme people. A military operation was carried out in retaliation and Alomang fled with her family from the Tsinga Valley into the forest to hide. In the forest her three year old daughter Johanna died of starvation.[1][3]