Asmat Art

The Asmat tribe is one of the most recognized primitive tribes in the world. The word “Asmat” itself is a synonym to cannibals, which is what this tribe is mainly known for. This tribe was brought to the attention of the world in 1961 when Michael Rockefeller (picture shown to the right), the son of New York governor at the time, Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, disappeared in Asmat territory while he was on an exhibition to collect art and information. Michael Rockefeller was never found or heard of ever again, everyone started believing that this tribe was still practicing cannibalism even though they denied such act at the time. The Asmat tribe is located in the Southwestern part if New Guinea, a province of Indonesia. They have an estimated sixty-five thousand people in their tribe, and live in smaller villages of about two thousand people. The image provided to the left gives you an idea of where they are located. They live in a bamboo forest and wild sago toward the West. This tribe also lives together in a long house that they built themselves. This house is able to cater seven to ten families of the tribe, although everything is provided by the house each family is responsible for their own fireplace. Although years before this territory was prohibited the Asmat tribe has become much friendlier through these years, they even allow tourist to come into their territory, explore the jungle as well as learning their tribe daily lives. The Asmat are extreme believers in the connection of nature and human, mainly trees. According to the Asmat tradition wood as a source of life and for that they have become worldwide recognized as well. Wood carving is fundamental to their culture as writing is to us. Like every tribe they also have creation story and theirs begin with a figure named Fumeripits, who was the first wood carver. Being so, he was very lonely according to their creation story he chopped wood down from the forest and started carving human-like