The Morning Star Flag: A Symbol of Hope and Struggle for West Papua

The Morning Star Flag: A Symbol of Hope and Struggle for West Papua

The rise of the Free West Papua campaign around the world has helped to make one emblem increasingly recognized: the Morning Star flag. Displayed during protests, cultural events, and international solidarity actions, this flag is far more than a piece of cloth. It embodies a collective identity, a legacy of resistance, and an enduring hope.

The Morning Star: More than a symbol

Across Europe, the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand, Papuan activists and solidarity movements have popularized the Morning Star flag as a symbol of resistance against over six decades of Indonesian rule in West Papua.

Symbolically, the morning star refers to the celestial body that appears before sunrise. Used by sailors as a guide, it represents orientation in darkness and the promise of a new day. For Papuans, it holds spiritual significance rooted in the messianic legend of Manarmakeri, a myth of renewal and liberation. In Christian tradition, the morning star also symbolizes Jesus Christ, who brings light into the world. This dual heritage—indigenous and Christian—gives the Morning Star a profound cultural and spiritual meaning.

The design of the flag itself carries deep symbolism: the thirteen horizontal blue and white stripes represent the cultural and geographical diversity of the Papuan peoples. The white star stands for the ideals of justice and guidance. The red field symbolizes the courage and sacrifice of the Papuan people in their struggle for self-determination.

The origins of the Morning Star flag

The exact origin of the Morning Star flag remains unclear. However, its early appearance is linked to a customary movement from the island of Biak in the late 1930s called Koreri, meaning “renewal.” This movement was initiated by a visionary Papuan woman named Angganeta Menufandu.

Under Dutch colonial rule, Angganeta led a growing civil resistance. By 1940, she was organizing around 30,000 Papuans in acts of civil disobedience against colonial taxes, forced labor, and the suppression of traditional songs and dances. The movement persisted during the Japanese occupation (1942–1944), and when American forces expelled the Japanese, Papuans in Humboldt Bay (Hollandia) spontaneously raised the Morning Star flag. This act expressed a clear message: the Papuan people did not want to be colonized again.

The Morning Star and the birth of a nation

Following World War II, Papuan nationalists seized the opportunity to accelerate peaceful decolonization under the returning Dutch administration. In the 1950s, Papuan political parties emerged, and in April 1961, a Papuan Parliament was established. Just six months later, the Morning Star flag was declared the national flag of West Papua.

On December 1, 1961, the Papuan people solemnly proclaimed their independence. The Morning Star was raised alongside the national anthem "Oh My Land of Papua." However, this period of joy was short-lived. On December 19, 1961, Indonesia’s President Sukarno declared war on the newly formed Papuan state, dismissing it as a Dutch puppet. On May 1, 1963, Indonesian troops occupied West Papua, and the flag was banned from being flown.

The Morning Star through the generations

Despite the repression, the struggle to reclaim Papuan independence has never ceased. For over sixty years, generations of Papuans—men and women, young and old—have risked arrest, torture, or death to raise the Morning Star flag.

Today, although the Papuan liberation movement includes many factions with different ideologies and strategies, they all rally under the same flag: the Morning Star. It remains the symbol of unity, resilience, and a shared destiny, echoing the founding motto of the Papuan nation: “One People, One Soul.”

In a world where symbols have the power to awaken consciousness, the Morning Star continues to illuminate the Papuan people’s peaceful yet unwavering march toward justice and freedom.