Jouwe was a member of the New Guinea Council, the legislature established in 1961 by the Netherlands in its former territory of West New Guinea.
He was the highest ranking Papuan in the colony as the Dutch were preparing it for independence.
When control of the territory was transferred to Indonesia from 1963, Jouwe and his family left to settle in the Netherlands from where he campaigned for an independent West Papua.
He became a permanent advisor to Dutch delegations to the United Nations and the South Pacific Commission.
