Ethnobotany of rattan as a binding material for the traditional Kaki Seribu house among the Sougb subethnic group in Awaigau Village, Arfak Mountains, West Papua, Indonesia

Rattan is an important biological binding material in the traditional construction of Kaki Seribu houses in the Arfak Mountains, yet the relationships among species selection, resource access, processing, and construction technology remain poorly documented. This study examined the ethnobotany of rattan among the Sougb subethnic group in Awaigau Village, Taige District, West Papua, Indonesia. Twenty-five informants were purposively selected, including five key informants, and data were collected through interviews, direct observation, and guided walks; ten houses were documented. Two rattan taxa were directly associated with house lashing: Calamus depauperatus (humogo) and Calamus aff. depauperatus (imini). Humogo was reported by 25/25 informants (RFC = 1.00) and imini by 20/25 (RFC = 0.80), while 80% reported using both. Fidelity Level was 100% for both taxa within the single-use dataset, and the Informant Consensus Factor was 0.977. Informants regarded both taxa as strong, but imini was considered more practical when available because its smaller diameter allowed it to be used whole, whereas humogo generally had to be split into 2-4 strips. Mature, harvestable humogo was perceived to have become less available around Awaigau, prompting sourcing from Anggi Gida through kinship and reciprocal exchange, whereas imini was reported mainly from Catubouw to the upper Wariori River. More than 500 lashing points were directly recorded across house components. Rattan selection is therefore shaped jointly by spatial access, material properties, processing requirements, and local technological knowledge, supporting its interpretation as a biocultural construction material.