The Asmat tribe comes from Papua Province which is the original tribe of the easternmost region of Indonesia. Asmat tribe has its own uniqueness compared to other tribes in the archipelago.
Getting To Know The Asmat Tribe, The Indigenous Papuan Tribe Famous for Carving
Asmat tribe is a tribe originating from Papua. The lifestyle, way of thinking, social structure and daily life of the two Asmat ethnic groups are very different. For example, the Asmat tribe in the interior usually have jobs as hunters and garden farmers. While those who live on the coast prefer to be fishermen.
The similarity is from physical characteristics, where the Asmat tribe has an average height of about 172 cm, for men and 162 for women. Their skin color is generally black with curly hair. This similarity is due to the fact that the Asmat tribe is still a descendant of the Polynesian people.
Asmat spread from the coast of the Arafuru Sea, to the Jayawijaya Mountains. The vast area of Asmat Regency makes the distance between villages or villages and sub-districts very far. Not to mention the swampy contours of the land, making traveling from between other villages can take 1-2 hours on foot.
They are known as Asmat tribe reliable engravers and are internationally recognized. There are many types and varieties of Asmat carvings. Usually, the carvings they produce tell about something, such as the story of their ancestors, their daily life, and their love for nature. Read also Overview Manokwari as Capital City Of West Papua.
The Asmat enjoy the dances and songs they usually perform when welcoming guests, facing harvest season, or even paying homage to the spirits of their ancestors. Although modern culture has influenced their lives a lot, but for matters of tradition and customs it is still quite thick and difficult to remove.
Single House
In the tradition of the Asmat tribe, there is also a building called Rumah Bujang or commonly known as Jew. This house is an important and inseparable part of the life of the Asmat tribe. Jew is the main house, where all the activities of the Asmat are carried out.
It was so important, when they wanted to establish a Jew, a special ceremony had to be held first. Only unmarried men are allowed to live in Jew’s house. Except when there is a big event, women are occasionally allowed into the Jew. Reported by the Asmatkab.go.id website, Atsj District traditional leader, Matias Jakmenem explained that Jew is one of the bachelor houses for the Asmat tribe.
This is because, the residents are all male groups (Beorpit). Every village has a Jew and is the center of Asmat tribe life. Women in the Asmat community are only allowed to enter the Jew, when there is a party or traditional ritual. Matias said, Jew is an initiation house, where youth (males) in the Asmat community get initiation, such as fighting, beating ltifa, fishing and stories about ancestors.
He said that in the Asmat language, Jew means spirit or spirit. Thus, each community group is not scattered. Jew is made from local wood and rattan and palm leaves as a roof. Jew also has 7-10 doors with one wair (main furnace), as well as a number of other furnaces on the right and left. According to Matias, the meaning of the door and the hearth indicates the number of families or clans in each village.
In the customs of the Asmat tribe community, each clan or fam is provided with two doors and two fireplaces. In the tradition of the Asmat community, Jew is not seen in terms of the length and width or the size of the Jew. That’s because, Jew has been inherited from the ancestors and ancestors of the Asmat community. The fireplace and stove became a symbol of the place for each group. On the pillars of Jew’s house, there are carvings of the war heads of each group that has died.
There are explanation about Asmat tribe. Hope this article is useful.
