Catching fish in the traditional way is still practiced by people in almost all parts of the archipelago. For this reason, by using all the resources around them, the community has created various devices, one of which is Bubu.

Bubu is a popular fishing tool and is still used today. Not only fish, Bubu can also be used to catch shrimp or crabs and other animals that move slowly on the bottom of the water.

Even though the models and raw materials are different, the purpose of using Bubu has the same pattern, namely to make the catch target so that it is easy to enter it and cannot get out, aka being trapped.

Bubu is made from several basic materials such as bamboo, rattan or palm which are woven into various shapes such as squares, cylinders, cones, elongated triangles or polygons to round and semicircular shapes. Bubu's size is usually adjusted to the target to be caught. If the target catch is large, so will the size of Bubu, and vice versa.

With the geographical conditions of the area where there are many rivers and lakes, indigenous Papuans, especially in the Maybrat district, Southwest Papua, traditionally catch fish or shrimp using Bubu.

In the regional language of Maybrat Bubu it is called "Wata". To make Bubu, local people use raw materials from plants that are widely found in the natural surroundings, namely Palm and Rattan. The palm used is a type of Hydriastele pinangoides which in the local language of Maybrat is called Srah.

Meanwhile, the rattan used is a type of Calamus keyensis which in the local language is called Bofake. Both of these plants are used to make bubu because of their light weight and long shelf life.

After a palm is felled only the trunk is taken. The palm trunk is then split into several parts with a width of approximately 0.5 cm each and a length ranging from 1.5 to 2 meters.

The inside of the palm halves is then scraped clean. Before being used, the halves of the palm stems are usually dried in the sun to dry or they can be directly used for weaving.

Bubu which is generally used by people in Maybrat district and its surroundings is conical in shape. The basic construction of Bubu is formed from parts of a palm stem and a rattan stick tied with a rope. In the past, all parts of Bubu were tied with ropes made of rattan. But now people have started using plastic rope.

The three important parts of a cone-shaped Bubu are the body, mouth and cover. The process of weaving Bubu's body begins with assembling 4 pieces of Palm stem halves.

At one end, the 4 halves of the palm stem are arranged separately at the same distance and then tied to the rattan circle that has been prepared. The rattan circle is only useful as a tool for assembling the parts of the palm stems to form the base of the cone.


The cone base is the part that will serve as Bubu's mouth. Meanwhile, the other ends of the 4 halves of the palm stem are also tied together to form the top of the cone. The arrangement of the 4 halves of the Palm stems which form the base and the top of the Cone is the basic framework for forming the Bubu body.

Next, the other four halves of the Palm trunk are arranged between the base frames. Likewise for the next part, the parts of the palm stem are arranged in the same pattern to form a conical blanket. Each part of the palm stem that has been arranged is also tied to a long rattan rod that is coiled from the top to the base of the cone to form a spiral.

After the mouth and body are formed, the other part that must be woven is the Bubu cover. The order of work was indeed like that because the diameter of the lid had to be adjusted to the size of Bubu's mouth. The Bubu cover is also woven in a conical shape. However, at the top of the cone there is a hole which will later serve as an entrance for the catch target to the inside of Bubu's body.

All stages of making bubu, from finding and preparing materials to weaving, take about a week. The most important stages are weaving the body and covering Bubu takes about 3 days. The tools used to make Bubu include machetes, knives and ropes.

After finishing weaving, Bubu is ready to be used to catch the desired target. The Maybrat people use Bubu to catch fish or shrimp in fresh water. To attract the attention of fish or shrimp, bait is placed on the inside of the Bubu, such as coconut, tubers and leaves, which are burned beforehand.

Meanwhile, to attract the attention of fish used worm bait. The bait is put into Bubu's body. After that, the cover was put on and tied to Bubu's mouth. Based on the catch target, large traps are used to catch fish, so they are usually placed in lakes.

Meanwhile, medium or small sized traps are used to catch shrimp or crabs, so they are usually placed in ponds or small rivers. Bubu is placed in the water with the mouth position at the bottom of the river or lake. So that it is sturdy and does not change or even drift away, Bubu is attached to a wooden pole.

The position of Bubu's mouth must be ensured that it is not obstructed by anything so that there is a cavity that can be passed by fish or shrimp, so that eventually it can enter and be trapped inside Bubu's body. The catch can be collected after Bubu has been placed for 2-3 days or more. Bubu's catch in the form of fish or shrimp is ensured to be fresh so that it is delicious and hygienic for consumption.

By the Maybrat community, Bubu's catch is generally consumed alone or distributed to relatives and neighbors. After the catch is taken, Bubu can be put back in the same location or moved to another location. The bait installed in Bubu can sometimes be added or even replaced with a new bait.

The skill of weaving and installing Bubu is individual knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, all stages in the manufacture starting from finding and preparing the raw materials for making, weaving to using Bubu in lakes or rivers can be done alone. But currently, this knowledge is only owned by the parent age class.

Interview : Yohan Safkaur (Bubu Weaver)