The Center for Endangered Languages Documentation (CELD) was established in 2009 at Universitas Negeri Papua (UNIPA), the State University of Papua, in order to facilitate state of the art linguistic and anthropological research and reach out for communities of endangered languages in Indonesian Papua.

The CELD is well equipped with the latest documentation technology enabling its staff to carry out documentations of indigenous cultures and languages. Beyond that, the CELD develops strategies and materials with local speech communities in order to preserve their cultural knowledge and language independently.

In its first program, the CELD focused on Wooi, a language of Yapen island. Yapen is located in the Cenderawasih Bay, north-west of mainland Papua, and is currently populated by more than 83.000 people. Over the next years, the CELD expanded its focus with further documentation programs by making use of the capacities of the center and its young researchers.

The major projects currently hosted by the CELD are Wooi,Iha, and Yali. Further projects are associated.

The Center for Endangered Languages Documentation aims at

1. working with speech communities in Indonesian Papua to document their languages and their culture
2. training local linguists, students, and experts in state of the art documentation techniques
3. supporting teachers, government agencies, artists, and activists in developing and using materials in local languages
4. is committed to establishing sustainable structures to access linguistic and anthropological data from all over the world at the State University of Papua (UNIPA)

Guidelines for foreign researchers

Working under the sponsorship of the Center for Endangered Languages Documentation (CELD) at the State University of Papua (UNIPA)

The CELD invites foreign researchers to cooperate and make use of the CELD’s resources in the task of language documentation in Indonesian Papua. To make this effort as beneficial as possible for both sides, the CELD puts forward these guidelines.

Establishing a Sponsorship

1. In order to do academic research in Indonesian Papua under the sponsorship of the Center for Endangered Languages Documentation (CELD), the researcher is asked to apply for a letter of sponsorship. The application is to be addressed to the director of the CELD.
2. In the application, the researcher is expected to clearly state the goals, places, times as well as the overall targets of the research project, including the details of all participating researchers if working in a team.
3. The CELD will approach the rector of the UNIPA and other relevant bodies such as Pembantu Rektor I (Academic Affairs), Pembantu Rector IV (Affairs for cooperative work), and the head of the Pusat Penelitian Bahasa dan Budaya di Papua (Center for the research on languages and cultures in Papua) regarding the sponsorship. If all parties approve of the proposal, the CELD will issue a letter of sponsorship (i.e., a letter of invitation that can be used for visa applications) that is signed by the rector of the UNIPA.
4. The applicant must apply for the appropriate visa, in which the purpose of the visit should be clearly stated as research (penelitian). Abiding by the regulations of the government of Indonesia, the CELD is not allowed and does not wish to support any research in the field by researchers entering the country with an inappropriate visa such as tourist visa, on-arrival visa, or other kinds of unrelated visa.
5. The CELD will send a letter of recommendation (signed by the director) to the Indonesian embassy in the home country of the applicant to facilitate the visa application.
6. Having granted the visa, the sponsored is requested to come to Manokwari for further planning and consultation at the CELD. The sponsored must not go straight to the field to conduct research unless he or she has specific approval from the CELD and/or a local government agency.

Working under a Sponsorship

The following points are to be considered and followed by foreign researchers who do research in Papua under the sponsorship of the Center for Endangered Languages Documentation (CELD).

1. The sponsored is advised to study and understand the CELD vision and mission as stated at the website http://www.celd-papua.net.
2. The sponsored is to abide by the regulations and guidelines of the CELD.
3. Especially on the first trip, the sponsored is obliged to stay at the CELD for an orientation phase which should include the following activities: (i) getting to know the staff members of the CELD and their working system, (ii) learning basic Papuan Malay (which is essential for doing fieldwork in Indonesian Papua), (iii) discussing and specifying the terms of the cooperation between the sponsored and the CELD. The outcome of this discussion will be put on record in a cooperative working agreement between the CELD and the sponsored. This agreement will list the tasks and obligations of both parties.

Library

The CELD has a small and up-to-date research library that is frequented by students from the English department of the Papua University in Manokwari on a regular basis. While working on their theses or preparing for seminars they can read the books on-site and download PDF files to take home. Many of the books and PDF files are available by courtesy of international visiting researchers. Furthermore, the CELD offers a growing collection of teaching materials that can be used by students and lecturers. In order to use the library, students and lecturers should hold the CELD Library Member Card. The member card is valid for one semester and can be obtained at the CELD office.

Reading Circle

The reading circle is held by CELD staff members and is addressed to students who are interested in linguistics. On a weekly basis, students are given the opportunity to repeat and discuss difficult topics from the regular syllabus and to touch upon a more diverse range of topics and thus broaden their linguistic knowledge. The reading circle is focused on reading and understanding original texts, and working practically with natural data.

Workshops

The CELD offers a number of workshops on a regular basis. They touch on different topics such as descriptive and documentary linguistics, language processing software, and fieldwork methods. The workshops are open to students, lecturers, staff members, and community language workers.