The Bridge of Tradition and Learning Science: Mapping Ethnochemical Mental Models Based on the Sasisen and Napnap Mor Traditions of the Biak Ethnic, Papua, Indonesia

Abstract

In culturally rich regions such as Papua, Indonesia, formal science education is often disconnected from students' lived experiences, creating a gap between the abstract chemistry curriculum and the local ethnochemical knowledge embedded in ancestral traditions of the Biak ethnic group, particularly Sasisen and Napnap Mor. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating local wisdom to bridge this gap.  This study aims to reconstruct the implicit ethnochemical knowledge within these traditions by mapping the community's mental models using Johnstone’s Triangle multi-level framework, thereby connecting local knowledge with the formal chemistry curriculum. A qualitative approach was employed, using triangulation of data from in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The data were analyzed based on Johnstone's three levels of chemical representation. The findings reveal culturally developed mental models (emics) among the Biak people that align empirically with modern chemical concepts (etics), especially in the use of natural materials related to the functions of secondary metabolites. This mapping confirms that the Sasisen and Napnap Mor traditions provide rich contextual foundations for chemistry learning. Integrating Biak traditions into the chemistry curriculum enhances the relevance of science education and students’ scientific literacy while also contributing to cultural preservation and the decolonization of science education. This study offers a local wisdom-based pedagogical model that supports sustainable development.