Direct local elections and the making of a plural political order in West Papua

In most Melanesian societies, pig feasts have been declining in recent years, owing to the incursion of Christianity and the modern economy. But in Indonesia-occupied West Papua, pig feasts are being held more often, and at a greater scale, than ever. The feasts are taking place in the context of West Papua's "special autonomy" status and Indonesia's democratic reforms, which have established direct local elections (pilkada) in the region. The boom in pig feasts shows how this traditional institution, together with the modern institution of elections, has become a platform for contestations over democracy and Papuan autonomy. Anthropological attention to traditional institutions, such as pig feasts, can offer insight into a condition of plural political order. It can furthermore tell us how Indigenous Peoples negotiate the terms of democratic reforms and negotiate their incorporation into the state through their own institution of ceremonial exchange.