Mee (ethnic group)
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 157,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia (Papua (province)) | |
| Languages | |
| Ekagi language, Indonesian language | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (95%), Islam (2%), other ethnic religions (3%)[1] |
The Mee (also Bunani Mee, Ekari, Ekagi, Kapauku) are a people in the Wissel Lakes area of Papua province, West Papua, Indonesia.[2] They speak the Ekagi language.
Epidemiological significance
In the 1970s, an investigation was conducted by Indonesian physicians concerned about the high rates of Ekari people hospitalized for burns. The study revealed many Ekari people were suffering from neurocysticercosis, caused by the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, which had been previously unseen in Papua New Guinea. As a result, many had been suffering seizures while in close proximity to fires, injuring themselves in the process. Pigs infected with the tapeworms had been introduced to the island previously by the Indonesian military.[3]
Representations in media
- National Geographic aired the film Tribal Odyssey: The Chief Who Talks to God: The Mee, Papua in 2005 as part of its Tribal Odyssey series.[4]
References
- ^ http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11729/ID
- ^ Carmel Budiardjo & Soei Liong Liem (1988). West Papua: The Obliteration Of A People. TAPOL. ISBN 0-9506-7515-6.
- ^ "How the West (Papua) Was Won." Cultural Survival. N.p., Dec. 1987. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
- ^ Tribal Odyssey
External links
 | This Indonesia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about an ethnic group in Asia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Oceania-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about ethnicity is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |