Asmat Art.

Asmat is a tribe that inhabited the region of Papua in Irian Jaya, East Indonesia. Asmat population is divided into two, namely those living in coastal areas and those living in the hinterland. Both of these populations differ from each other in dialect, way of life, social structure and ritual.

Asmat tribe with spear and shield them 

The next coastal population is divided into two parts namely Bisman tribes located between the river and the river Sinesty Nin and Shimei tribes. Some Asmat inhabiting areas far from the coast, building a house on the tops of the trees, about 30 meters above ground level. In fact, some are still nomadic life.

Traditional clothes. 

Asmat save a lot of unique art. They have their own traditional dresses that we are familiar with Koteka. Koteka pumpkin is made of leather. The shape is long and narrow. Serves to cover the reproductive organs of men. So also with penis gourds for her, both as his shirtless and wearing a skirt made of dried plant roots to cover the reproductive organs.

Climate in Papua are very hot and they just use penis gourds. Maybe this is what causes black Asmat. In addition to wearing Koteka, Asmat also clever makeup or dye their bodies by using natural ingredients that simple. To get the color red, they use red soil mixed with water. So even if you want to get the white color, they are made of white shells are crushed and then mixed with water.

Sculpture / carving. 

Variety of Asmat art is mostly done sculpture / carving.
Art objects Asmat carvings interesting results are the shields, poles mbis (sculpture bus / ancestors), and drums. In each image resides carving and appreciation for their ancestors is loaded with greatness Asmat. So at each Asmat carving work always contains a message to appreciate his ancestors implicitly conveyed through symbols in the carving motifs.

One of the central Asmat make wood carving

Sculpture and carving generally they have freely sketch . For Asmat , when the sculpture is the moment in which they communicate with ancestors who exist in another world . This is possible because they know the world's three concepts : Amat ow capinmi ( natural life now ) , Dampu ow campinmi ( natural stopover dead spirits ) , and Safar ( heaven ) .

Some wood carving by Asmat.

The tribe believes that before entering heaven, the spirits of the dead would interfere with humans. Interference can be a disease, disaster, and even war. Thus, in order to save mankind, and redeem the souls, those who are still alive to make sculptures and statues held a party like the party bus (Bioskokombi), party mask, party boats, and party sago worms. It is said that the statue of a bus is the most sacred form of sculpture.
Asmat carving has four meanings and functions, respectively:
1. Symbolizes the presence of ancestral spirits;
2. To express feelings of sadness and happy;
3. As a symbol of trust with a pattern of humans, animals, plants and other objects;
4. As the epitome of beauty and a picture memory of ancestors.
Assorted colors of Asmat art style based on the shape and color can be classified into four areas:
          a) The symbolic ornate carvings are also on the end of the canoe, on the back of the boat,
       Datung boat, wall drums, the spearhead, arrowhead, etc..
b ) Asmat Art Style Northwest ( Northwest Asmat ) Shield in this group with a tapered bottom that is rather broad and usually more dense than the other shields . Clearly separate the head from the other sections and shaped head turtles or fish . Sometimes there are pictures on the clod ancestors , while ornament shaped body parts fly ferrets , frogs , birds head horns , snakes , etc. .
c) East Asmat art style (Citak) Specificity of the art in this group seem to form a shield decoration which is usually very large, sometimes up to a high exceeding the Asmat people standing upright. Parts of it are not clearly separated from the body of the shield and are often filled with black stripes or red and white dots are given.
d) The art style Asmat Shield Brazza River area in this group almost as large and tall with a group of Asmat shields in the East. The head is also usually separate from the body. Although the motive sikulengan often used for decoration shield, commonly used motifs are geometric motifs, circles, spirals, elbows, etc..
Asmat carving is very popular to foreign countries. Many tourists who admire the Asmat art. Asmat carvings understand that they have a high selling price. Therefore, many results carvings they sell. Usually the price range of a hundred tribu start up with millions of dollars.
Asmat is a true artist. Wood sculpture crafts they recognized internationally as a high-class works of art. The art of blood flow with no purpose because in their daily lives using the equipment associated with wood. This tribe inhabited the Flamingo Bay and Cook Inlet, in the southwest coastal region of Papua.
Modern life does not reach this area until the last few years. Much of this region is still a dense forest areas that have not been encroached upon humans. Yet the fate of the true artist does not escape the attention of the international community. At the end of the sixties, the Asmat carvers receive assistance from the United Nations for the sake of maintaining the sustainability of their sculpture.
In Agat city you can visit the museum that displays a collection of wooden sculptures and the results of their craft.
The equipment normally used by the Asmat carvers made up of stone axes, animal teeth and shells. As for smoothing the fault, they use pig tusks, teeth of certain fish and oysters.
The symbols (emblem) believed / use of them;
a. Symbol man and birds on the boat.
Asmat people used to make carvings on the boat end uses. The symbolic carvings of humans and birds.
Human shaped carvings represent deceased family. They believe that the deceased will be happy to note, and go wherever the boat and its passengers will always protects.
Carvings of birds and other flying animals are considered a symbol of the brave in battle and bird emblem is also used as a symbol of headhunting, especially birds or animals fly dark-colored or black.
b. Garnish
For the headdress, using symbols cassowary or couscous. Dyed red around her eyes like the eyes of a black parrot when I'm angry. Forehead ornament made of possum skin is a symbol of the mighty head-hunters.
c. Tree
The person calling himself Asmat Asmat-ow, which means the human tree. The tree is a very noble thing in view of the Asmat people. In their view, the tree is man and man is the tree. The root of the tree represents a human, the human body is the trunk, the branches are human hand, and the leaves are a human head. All the assumption that it has a fundamental reason. Malignant state of the natural environment, swampy and muddy cause trees or timber to be important for the life of the Asmat people.
d. Sago
Sago in addition be used as feed by the Asmat people, sago also have the special meaning of its own for the Asmat. Sago described as a woman. A trusted by the Asmat life out of the sago tree as life out of the womb of a mother.
Confidence.
The Asmat believe that death is coming unless the age is too old or too young, is caused by a malicious act, either of magic or violence. Confidence they demand vengeance for his dead victims. Ancestral spirits, to whom they dedicate themselves, represented in spectacular wood carving canoes, shields, wooden poles carved human figures. Until the end of the 20s century, the Asmat youth meet their obligations and devotion to fellow members, to the ancestors and to prove masculinity by bringing the head of an enemy, and offer the body to eat other family members in the village.
Productive tools.
Asmat people already have the equipment and how to survive. They already have the ability to make their own nets made of woven sago leaves. The nets used to catch fish in the river estuary. The trick was a simple one, namely by throwing nets into the ocean to then pulled together. This job is not easy because there is mud in estuaries are very numerous and burdensome in net withdrawals. Therefore, nets tethered only at high tide and then withdrawn at low tide.
To make a work of art, Asmat people also recognize certain tools that are deliberately used to make carvings. Simple tools such as stone axes, animal teeth and shell snails that can be used by wow-ipits to carve. Stone ax is a very valuable thing for the Asmat so ax that can only be obtained through the exchange of goods that are named according to their ancestral name, usually the name of his maternal grandmother. With the influx of outside influences, Asmat people are now using an iron ax and iron chisel. Replaced snail skin with a knife. To smooth the skin and cut still use snail.

Transport equipment and accessories.

Asmat society recognize canoe as a means of transportation. Boat building formerly used for the preparation of an assault and headhunting head. When it has finished, the boat attempted to the place of the enemy with the intention of provoking the enemy and lure the enemy in order to be ready to fight atmosphere. In addition, the canoes are also used for transporting foodstuffs and search. Every 5 years, the Asmat people making new boats. Although the Asmat region is rich in various types of wood, but they choose the type of boat building a special timber that amount is not so much. Wood used is yellow (ti), ketapan, bitanggur or similar milk timber called yerak. Once the tree is selected, harvested, peeled and sharpened at both ends, the rods have been ready to be taken to the boat building.
To make the boat takes about 5 weeks. The process of making the boat from stem to form carved and painted finishes include several stages. First, the rods were still rough and crooked straightened. After the inside excavated, crushed with a snail shell, as well as the outside. The bottom of the boat so that the boat be lightly burned and pace of the course. The face of a boat called cicemen, carved to resemble a bird or other animal symbol headhunting head. Or human carvings symbolizing deceased brother. The boat then named after the deceased brother. The length of the boat reaches 15-20 meters. After all the engravings made on the boat then the boat in the paint. The inside is painted white, the exterior painted in white and red. After the boat was decorated with sago leaves. Before use, all boats must be formalized through the ceremony. There are 2 kinds of boats are commonly used, namely a boat belonging to a family that is not too large and contains 2-5 people with 4-7 meters long. While the usual clan boat load between 20-20 people to 10-20 meters long. The paddle is made of durable wood, such as wood or metal timber forest nutmeg. Because used while standing, the Asmat people very long paddle size. These objects must be owned by every person Asmat because many residential areas surrounded by marshes.

Livelihood systems. 

Livelihoods of people living in coastal areas are Asmat sago gathering, hunting small animals, (which is the biggest boar), and search for fish in the river, lake, or seashore. They are also sometimes planted fruits and plant roots. Sometimes they also deliberately planted in small gardens are simple in the middle of the woods. Upstream Asmat people who live in areas that no longer the sago tree, is more dependent on their gardens. In the past, the Asmat people live in forests, settled in one place for a few months, then moved for a new place when the material surrounding the food has been reduced. Living in the forest means to live freely, then it is this which makes them sometimes back into the woods, leaving the village that has been provided. On Monday, they usually go into the woods and back to the village on Saturday. Most of the time is spent in the forest by establishing a large house, which is called the bivouac.

Shelter and housing. 

Single house Asmat 

According to tradition the Asmat people, in a village there are 2 kinds of buildings, which house flunky and family home. The house flunky (je) occupied by young men who are not married and should not be entered by women and children. The house consists of one room is built on wooden poles with a length of 30-60 meters and a width of about 10 meters. This house used to plan a party, war, and peace. In his spare time, this house used to tell tales of the ancestors sacred. Each clan has its own house flunky.

Asmat family was at home Family 

While the family home, usually inhabited by a nuclear family consisting of a father, a wife or a couple, and their children. Each wife has a kitchen, doors, and stairs alone. Five years, these houses are renewed by men. Housing is built to resemble a house on stilts, about one and a half meters from the ground. Roofs made of woven sago leaves, gaba-gaba sago form walls, and floors covered with mats made of sago leaves as well. Then, in the regular forest Asmat people setting up such a large house, called bivouac. Bivouac is a temporary shelter for the Asmat people when they are in search of food in the forest.

Language. 

The languages ​​that use the Asmat including language groups by linguistic experts called the Language of the Southern Division, southern languages ​​of Irian Jaya. This language never studied and classified by CL Voorhoeve (1965) into phyla languages ​​Irian (Papua) Non-Melanesian.

Weapons. 

Asmat shields used by people to protect themselves from enemy arrows and spears in battle. Pattern engraving on the shield symbolizes virility. These weapons are made from the roots of mangrove trees or large wood and soft light. Spear the Asmat people are made of hard wood such as ironwood or sago bark.
Eventually those sharp equipped with a cover made from a bird's beak or nails cassowary.

Jewelry .

Asmat people also have some type of jewelry worn in everyday life . Like most people , the Asmat decorated to beautify themselves , respectively . As per belief , they are decorated with the usual self as resembling a bird . Such as white spots on the body that is identified in birds .
For the headdress , their use of cassowary feathers or couscous . Dyed red around her eyes like the eyes of a black parrot when I'm angry . Forehead ornament is made of possum skin , the emblem of the mighty head -hunters . Nose ornaments made ​​out of some kind of sea snail , or sometimes made ​​from human bones or pork bones . Ladies earrings made ​​from possum fur . Canine teeth to be used as a necklace strung neck trimmer .
To get those teeth, the dog was not killed, but wait until the dog died. Therefore, the canine teeth are considered high for them, and often used as a dowry (pomerem) for the family of the woman

Art Music. 

Asmat people have a special musical instrument commonly used in important ceremonies. Musical instruments used by the Asmat is drum stick made of wood trunks in holed. Elongated rounded shape similar to a drum. Sculptured drums or animal-shaped pattern of sacred ancestors. On the surface of the drums are carved, depicting symbols taken from the statue of Bis. Bus sculpture is sculpture that is considered sacred by the Asmat. The statue depicts such a bus from family members who have died. At the top is wrapped with leather and lizard skin, tied with rattan fireproof. Tifa usually named according to the person who has died. The usual drums carved and sculpted by local ipits-wow. Tifa is usually played to accompany traditional dances Asmat, ie dance or Tobe called Dance War.

Dance. 

Asmat People often do a certain dance movements while sacred ceremony takes place. The presence of erotic movements and dynamic performed by men and women in front of the house flunky (Je) in order mbis ceremony. Tobe dance often played when there is such a traditional ceremony. This dance is performed by 16 dancers male and 2 female dancers. With the movement of jumping or jumping rhythm accompaniment of drums and chanting songs stamping, make this dance look very excited.
This dance is meant to rekindle the spirit of the soldiers to go into battle.
Asmat culture is still quite original and has not been eroded by the current modernization. Their culture is very unique. It is our duty as citizens of Indonesia to preserve cultural treasures that abound with ways to learn and watch performances at local art centers and cultural customs throughout Indonesia.
Thank you for reading this article. Written and posted by Bambang Sunarno. sunarnobambang86@gmail.com
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name: Bambang Sunarno.
http://primadonablog.blogspot.com/2014/02/asmat-art.html
DatePublished: February 24, 2014 at 21:27
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Tag ; Asmat Art.