Beauty Pulau Mansinam

Mansinam Island is an island that provides religious tourism for Protestant Christians in Papua. This island is part of the West Papua region. It is located about 6 kilometers from Manokwari City. To reach this island it only takes 10 to 15 minutes using an engine boat.

Every year on February 5, thousands of people from all over Papua come to this place to hold celebrations commemorating the arrival of Ottow and Geissler.These two German nationals arrived on Mansinam Island with a mission to spread the gospel. However, at that time, the tribe that inhabited Mansinam Island was closed to foreigners who came. Ottow and Geissler did not give up.They continued to struggle to spread Christianity to the Biak tribe, the tribe that at that time inhabited Mansinam Island.

One day, Geissler became ill and had to leave Mansinam Island. Geissler chose to go to Ternate to recover. Meanwhile, Ottow remained on Mansinam Island. Ottow began to approach the community through trade relations. He bought Mansinam Island's natural products from the residents, such as shellfish, sea cucumbers, or birds of paradise.Then he sold it to a merchant from the Van Duivenbode ship. Profits from these sales are used to finance living needs.

On January 12, 1856, Geissler returned to Papua, specifically to Mansinam Island.They both work together to continue the mission of spreading Christian teachings.Geissler, who had skills as a carpenter, taught the Biak tribe how to build houses.Meanwhile, Ottow has good weaving skills. He spread his weaving skills in Mansinam until the Biak tribe became familiar with clothing and began to abandon loincloths and kotekas. The skills taught by Ottow and Geissler also spread to Biak, Nabire, Wasior and other areas of Papua.

Not only that, they also learn the local language of the local tribe and then translate prayers into the local language. These two apostles for the Papuan people also taught the Biak tribe on Mansinam Island to read and write. Initially it was very difficult for the Biak tribe to just hold a pencil.However, the persistence of the Biak tribe, accompanied by the patience of Ottow and Geissler to get out of the darkness, enabled them to read and write. Then, to facilitate the dissemination of Christian teachings, Ottow and Geissler translated the Bible into Malay which functions as a basantara.This eventually spread to other areas of Papua.This is the forerunner to other Papuan people's knowledge of science.

 

About a few kilometers before anchoring on Mansinam Island, you can see a kind of cross-shaped monument. That is an inscription dedicated to the services of Ottow and Geissler.At the bottom of the inscription is written, Soli deo Gloria De Eerste Zendelingen van Nederlandsch Nieuw Guinee C.W. Ottow En J.G. Geissler Zyn Hier Geland op 5-2-1855 (first zending for Papua Ottow-Geissler arrived here 5 February 1855).