Main article: Western New Guinea
The Chitak, Land Asmat, and Avew tribes were one large family, but wars and territorial problems caused them to separate and form new tribes in their territories.
For 2020, the number of asmats was estimated at 110 thousand people.
Territory
The Asmats live on the southern shore of Western New Guinea, in Asmat County, South Papua Province of Indonesia.
As of 2025, most of these lands do not have land roads and numerous rivers serve as transport arteries.
Tools
Food
Traditional Asmatian communities mainly consume starch extracted from sag palms, as well as fish and forest game.
The larvae of black palm weevils (Rhynchophorus bilineatus), which these insects deposit in sage palms, are considered a delicacy in New Guinea. The Asmat, Korovay and Kombay peoples also value larvae highly as a food source.
Adult weevils lay eggs in damaged parts of palm trunks. After hatching, the larvae make passages in the trunk and feed on the tissues of the tree, which often leads to the death of host plants. To start the process of breeding larvae, korovai cut down the saga palm and wait for the right time until the larvae, which will deposit insects in it, are ready for consumption in raw or processed form.
Ju's Men's Houses
Jew, also known as the Bachelor House, is an Asmatian traditional house. Ju, also known by several other names such as Je, Jeu, Yeu, or Yai, is a rectangular wooden house on stilts, with walls and a roof of braided saga palm or nipa palm leaves. Rattan roots are used as connectors.
The house is open only to single men; children under 10 years old and women are prohibited from entering the house.
Ju is always built with a facade to the river, often on the bends of the river, because in the past conflicts between ethnic groups were common. Building houses along the river, especially on bends, residents of men's houses could quickly detect enemy attacks.
For the construction of "Ju," iron wood is used because it is strong and resistant to water, especially marine.
The men's home can range in size from 30 to 60 metres long and 10 metres wide.
The number of doors in the men's house is equal to the number of foci and statues of mbis (ancestors), which also reflect the number of "tsem" or "tisem" (small family houses) in the Asmatian tribal community living around Ju. According to Asmatians, mbis statues, reaching 2.5 m in height, are able to drive away evil spirits from unmarried men in the house.
Walls, roof and floor are usually replaced every 5 years.
Being a sacred home for the Asmat people, Ju has many functions. In addition to serving as housing for unmarried men, it is also a meeting place where disputes between villagers are resolved, traditional ceremonies, community meetings, peace agreements, wars, and traditional rituals are planned.
In addition, it is used as a repository for carvings of deceased ancestors or spirits. In the past, ju have also been used to store skulls, spirit boats (vooramon), spirit clothing (ifi or yipaver), bags (noken), war spears, war shields, drums (typhus), and other sacred objects.
A knocken is a bag of woven vegetable fibers that is used for storage and worn on the shoulder or back with a mount on the forehead. According to Asmatians, noken can cure a patient from various diseases, subject to certain rules and conditions. Another function of the men's house is to serve as a village club and a place for receiving guests.
Inside ju, young, unmarried men gain knowledge from older men, including harnessing the resources available in their environment through existing technology, skill development, drum playing, dancing and singing. In addition, they become acquainted with heroes of the myths of the Asmat people, such as Fumiripits, also known as the Great Bounty Hunter, who is considered the ancestor of the Asmats. In the past, they have also been taught to hunt their heads and hold traditional ceremonies.
In addition, young men are taught to carve on wood in accordance with the Asmat tradition. As a rule, only men are allowed to cut into wood, and they usually do not sketch when carving statues, because with the help of carving they can communicate with their ancestors in accordance with the concept of three worlds known to them (see below).
Other values that are still respected include the ban on extinguishing wayir (fire in the main focus in the center of the male house), the obligation to play the drum (typhus) and sing songs in the male house.
Ju also serves as a place to distribute respec funds (Respek) to families living around ju. Respec funds are budgetary assistance provided from the Indonesian budget.
Culture
Asamanam Philosophy - Balance of Life
Asamanam or balance (Joerat dialect) is the view of the Asmat people on life, which consists in maintaining its three components: the balance of relations with other people, ancestors, nature and God.
For the Asmatian people, this balance in relations is important, since they believe that it is a condition that today's life will proceed safely.
"Asmat people believe that balance in relationships creates harmony. Without balance, society itself will soon collapse, leaving only a broken and uncontrolled world, without any guarantees of survival, "wrote in 2002 Master Alphonse [3].
This philosophy can be represented cherez symbols and stories that are immortalized in the form of carving and weaving.
Balance with the world of ancestral spirits
The view of life in asmats is unique. There are several interpretations of their cosmology.
According to the first (Yuven Biakai version), some Asmatians believe that the world is divided into three parts, namely,
- Asama Ou Kapinmi is a world where people live during their lifetime;
- Damir Ou Kapinmi is a world in which the spirits of people who have died and are still on the way to heaven. Spirits that are still in Damir Ou Kapinmi are believed to be the cause of disease, suffering, calamity and war.
- Safar or heaven is the last place where the spirits of the dead go.
According to the second treatment (Boniface Jakfu's version), some Asmatians believe that the world is divided into two parts, namely:
- Asamat ow capin mbi - the world in which people live,
- Juus ow is the spirit world.
The spirit world has damup, dat, kamor and the spirit jii ow/juus akat ow. Damup, dat and camor are believed to bring disease, suffering and death. Meanwhile, jii ow is considered a kind spirit that brings fertility, victory, peace, etc.
To maintain a balanced relationship with the spirit world, asmata use art. Through carving, weaving, and traditional feasts with feasts, the Asmat people reconnect with ancestral spirits so that a balance of relations between the living and the dead can be created. In doing so, the Asmat people believe that these spirits will save them and guarantee a safe life.
Ero'are sculptures of deceased family members. The Asmata believe that these carvings preserve the spirit and traits of the person depicted. The style of each carver is reflected in the distinctive features and forme of the sculpture. Most statues depict female ancestors. The Asmats respect and love women, considering them a source of life for their community.
Statues of Asmatian ancestors are made of two types of wood: iron wood and ash. The former do not paint well, so it darkens over time. Ash sculptures are often painted with natural materials.
Balance with nature
Nature is of great importance in the life of Asmatians.
Nature, in this case the forest, village, river and surrounding area, is a sacred site for the Asmatians. All animals, plants, stones, whirlpools, etc., which exist in this universe, according to the Asmatians, have a camor (spirit in the Jorat dialect). Asmatians are very afraid of camors, because if the balance of life with nature is not maintained properly, camor will have a bad effect on people, such as natural disasters, suffering, illness, death, etc.
For Asmatians, nature is also identified with the mother, who is the source of life, security and peace.
Asmatians identify with trees. For them, their legs are like the roots of a tree, their bodies are like the trunk of a tree, their hands are like the branches or branches of a tree, and their heads are like the fruits of this tree.
Some parts of the forest are sacred for asmats. Deforestation is thought to be taboo. There are rules that prohibit people from engaging in various activities in the depths of the forest. Violation of these rules can lead to disasters in the village and even cause "difficulty breathing" if they do not pay fines in accordance with the rules established by each elder.
Balance with Ju Vir - the sun as the ultimate entity
Before the advent of Christianity in the 20th century, the Asmats believed that the highest essence in the universe was Ju Vir or the sun (in the Kinok dialect).
In Asmat art, this balancing attitude can be seen in carved and woven symbols such as the sun, stars, moon, and others that reflect the belief of the Asmat people in the extraordinary power emanating from this higher essence.
When Christian missionaries came to the land of Asmat in 1953, they tried to present the teachings of Christianity as a reality that was close to them, and not just as an external product that was unfamiliar and far from their life experience. In some places, such as the parish of Savva Erma, an attempt to combine two elements - custom and Christianity - into one is very noticeable at the beginning of the 21st century.
Although they are well acquainted with the Gospel, in some places the relations of the Asmatian people with Ju Vir are the same as with God, as well as with Christ as an older brother.
Balance in relationships with other people
The Imu/Wu Kus/Sespar/An/Imu Aramat/Jimi Pir feasts are a sequence of feasts dedicated to friendship that maintains the balance of life with other people.
The "An Tu" is a stage of celebration, with friends exchanging maggot tree larvae, which are placed in a special traditional plate made from young sago tree leaves.
Bish pillars - a means of calming the spirits of the dead for their transition to safan
Bish is a ritual pillar created and used by the Asmat people of Southwest New Guinea. Such poles are also common in New Zealand and Vanuatu.
Bish (bis) translates to "ancestor."
The Bish pillars were originally carved by Asmat (wow-ipit) religious carvers after a member of their tribe or community was killed during a bounty hunt conducted by an enemy tribe. Asmat also participated in raids for the purpose of bounty hunting and ritual cannibalism.
Among the Asmatians and related peoples, getting rid of the dead was a lengthy process involving ceremonies and violence, as well as burial. Death invariably occurred in battle or "because of witchcraft," and revenge involving sorties behind heads was necessary to enable the spirit of the deceased to find peace.
The Asmatians believed that if a member of the community was hunted to cut off his head, then his spirit lingered in the village and caused disharmony. When death occurs in the community, it threatens the spiritual peace in which the Asmata believe. The pillars of Bish were erected in order to calm these spirits and send them to the afterlife (Safan) abroad.
To avenge their dead, members of the community staged a retaliatory bounty hunt on an enemy village.
The pillars were part of a "bish pokumbu" ceremony during which villagers paid final tribute to recently deceased members of the community and promised to avenge their deaths.
Relatives erect pillars of bish (ancestors) 8 to 12 m high. Carved from whole trunks of mangrove trees, they are a multi-tiered sculpture consisting of several human figures located both in a sitting and standing position, which are placed on top of each other. Each figure is named after a particular deceased person.
The figures have openwork protrusions, often emanating from the pubic region of the uppermost figure, where they symbolize the phallus as the strength and masculinity of the ancestors of the community, as well as warriors who went on a bounty hunt. The pillars are painted white, representing the world of perfume, with red details.
Below is a boat and an oar, which is the means by which ancestors return to the spirit world.
On the day of the ritual, poles were installed near the men's house.
Lined up in rows, the warriors stood in front of the pole and vowed revenge on those responsible for the death.
Warriors in the village staged comic fights to show their valor and readiness to avenge the deceased relative. And one of the main points was shouting the names of the dead.
Bish poles often had a nest at the base, designed for severed heads of enemies. The pillar was also coated with blood as a sign of revenge.
After the ceremonies were completed, the wandering spirit could reach the kingdom of the dead by using the pole as a canoe.
Then the Bish pillar is cut into pieces and accompanied by women crying and dancing, carried outside the village into groves of sag palm trees. The lifeblood of the dead could now be transmitted alive through food that would be derived from sage palms.
The lower jaws of the skulls of enemies were decorated with feathers, colored seeds and turned into female necklaces (a serious insult to enemies).
The headhunting tradition no longer exists as it ceased in the 1970s, but the Bish tradition of pillars and rituals continues to this day as a custom to honor the deceased villagers. The festival of Bisj Pokmbu is held only in coastal areas.
Jeevi - spirits of the dead return to the village to take part in the holiday
Perfume costumes are used by asmats at the Jivi ceremony (Jivi, perfume). It is designed to help people connect with their deceased ancestors. At this festival, spirits are shown as ancestors returning to the village to take part in festivities with the living before heading back to the spirit world.
Perfume costumes are made by men in remote parts of the forest.
As a rule, two types of perfume costumes are made for this holiday. The former show a deceased family member and may include two to twenty separate constituents.
The second type of perfume costume is made to show the figure of an orphan, as described in the myths of the Asmatian people.
In the emari dukur group, there is another kind of perfume costume to show an old woman who is also mentioned in asmata myths.
After the feast, the costumes are placed in a special place where they can rot under a banyan or saga palm. This ritual is believed to promote fertility in the forest and community. Trees are then considered sacred and are not cut down.
Emak Jem - Boys Initiation Ritual and Homosexuality
The holiday Emak Jem is a dedication ritual or celebration for young people, especially young people from the Jorat clan.
Youth are considered "cesar ji" or children who are pure of sin. During the holiday, the young men are isolated from relatives, including brothers, sisters and mother, for about 3-4 months. There they are taught various skills for future life, either as heads of families, or as exemplary citizens of society in the future. At the end of the feast, the youth must "revive" through the camorao door and step over the spirit boat (vooramon).
When it comes time for teenage boys to move from a society of women to a society of men, they must go through sexual intercourse with an adult man. This tradition is known not only among the Asmatians and Marinds, but also among other ethnic groups in New Guinea.
According to the views of the Asmatians, sperm has a power that, like earlier, women's milk, should strengthen the boy. Asmata call it "male milk."
Many Asmatians have previously had homosexual relationships. With wives and children, asmats can also have sexual partners in male homes, which is perceived as a kind of male brotherhood.
Asmatian homosexuality is discussed in Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale, 2000.
Boards
The Asmat war shield is one of the most artfully decorated items from the area - and one of the most collectible.
For Asmatian warriors, the decoration of the shield is much more important than its protective properties. It was used as a psychological weapon. The patterns are related to bounty hunting and were intended to instill paralyzing horror in the enemy and reverence in associates.
Stylized motifs used by artists include a mantis (which bites off a female's head during mating). Images of the flying fox (frugivorous bat) were also popular. Flying foxes are a symbol of headhunting, as they feed on fruit from trees, and asmata associate trees and fruit with body and head, respectively.
The shield is a highly valued property of the dong Asmat men.
Each shield is made of a single piece of root and bears the name of the ancestor, which is important to the owner. The spirits of these ancestors are believed to be associated with the shield, providing protection from various dangers, both physical and supernatural.
On the top of the shield surface, asmata often insert human figures and special symbols, such as, for example, stingray heads.
The earliest known shields were simply called Asmat shields, but they were subsequently divided into four categories. In 1995, this classification was expanded to cover twelve groups based on region, motif and character of decoration for 2025.
Drums
Traditional songs serve as a spiritual conduit for Asmatians to praise their ancestors and the universe. These songs are usually performed to the accompaniment of drums (typhus). This musical tradition serves not only an entertaining function, but also unites the community and is a means of strengthening the spiritual connection between members of the community. Drum playing and song performance is only allowed by selected men known as "em su vir" and "em su jeepit."
The asmata drum is made from a single piece of wood with a membrane of lizard skin attached with human blood and lime powder, and a tightly bound rattan. Regional differences in the size and motifs of typhoid decoration reflect cultural diversity among the Asmat people. The longest drums are from Safan, while the shorter drums are found in the Emari Dukur band.
Oars
Asmat oars can be divided into two main categories: decorative oars, which are used by leaders, and ordinary oars, which are used for daily activities. Some oars are provided with ancestral figures believed to protect the wearer. The handles and crossbars are decorated with motifs typical of each region.
Blade sizes vary for children, women and men. Shoulder blades designed for children are smaller and shorter than those designed for adults, as they are more suitable for their small height and posture. Female shoulder blades tend to be shorter, as they are often used sitting. The men's shoulder blades, which are longer, are designed for standing rowing.
Canoe noses
The Ci Cimen, or canoe nose, is a distinctive carving technique used by the Asmatian people to decorate the front and aft of their boats.
These carvings are usually created directly from a single log, thus becoming an integral part of the boat itself. However, some of them are made separately and subsequently attached to the bow of the vessel.
Groups where Ci Cimen's carving practice is carried out independently include Bacembub, Bismam, Joerat, Simai and Unir Sirau.
The Asmatian people believe that Ci Cimen represents the spirits of ancestors who will protect and protect everyone in the boat from troubles and shocks.
Carved boards
The inspiration for these carved panels can be traced back to the motifs found in traditional designs of boat noses, oars, shields and puputan. The carved panels were influenced by W. von Dongen MSC, who asked the Asmatians to carve the motifs on the boards provided to them.
Initially, panel carving was practiced exclusively by carvers from the villages of Sava, Er, Erma and Sona. Over time, carvers from the Unir Shirau region, including craftsmen from the villages of Comor, Yipaver, Munu, Bu and Agani, as well as other villages, began to carve out in the same style, a practice that continues by 2024.
The pit panels have a similar history, influenced by H. von Pei, MSC, a priest in Atzj Parish in 1960. Fascinated by the beauty of the Asmatian carving, von Pei, faced with the restrictions of bringing large carvings to Europe, encouraged carvers to create smaller pieces without compromising aesthetics. The panel with chandeliers has become a separate charming kind of carving.
Collections of Asmatian cultural objects in museums of the world
The Asmats are illustrious artists. When Western New Guinea was a colony of the Netherlands, most of the early works of art, such as shields, trophy heads and statues of ancestors, were sent to Dutch museums before World War II.
Exhibits related to Asmatian culture are collected in museums in different countries, among which the most famous are from the collection of Michael K. Rockefeller at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Much of the Asmatian art in Western collections was acquired only after World War II, when the area became more accessible.
Battle shields, spears, and cassowary bone daggers, as well as household utensils such as hourglass-shaped drums, dishes, and battle canoe-shaped bowls (for sago) are now produced in the worst quality for the commercial market. Standing male figures representing the original ancestor are carved for new male houses.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Tribal Art. The essential world guide, Judith Miller, p.116
- ↑ Tribal Art. The essential world guide, Judith Miller
- ↑ SovadaOSC in Weltauffassung im Spiegel der Kunst, 2002
- ↑ Tribal Art. The essential world guide, Judith Miller
- ↑ Tribal Art. The essential world guide, Judith Miller
- ↑ Tribal Art. The essential world guide, Judith Miller
- ↑ Tribal Art. The essential world guide, Judith Miller
- ↑ Tribal Art. The essential world guide, Judith Miller
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