The conversion of weakebo: A big man of the me community in the 1930s

Abstract

Abstract This paper balances an earlier study of the life of Zakheus Pakage, an indigenous religious leader among the Me of the Paniai Lakes region of Irian Jaya, with a brief account of the life of one of his principal adversaries, Weakebo Mote. Weakebo's strategy during the 1930s and early 1940s of allying himself firmly with both the Catholic and Protestant missions is described. He also emerged as a key supporter of the Dutch colonial administration, whose officers he continued to assist during the Japanese occupation of the Paniai area. This strategy needs to be appreciated in the light of Weakebo's opposition to Zakheus, whose clan traditionally fought with Weakebo's clan, and whose message of an independent, indigenous church posed a threat to the basis of Weakebo's standing in the community.