The Asmat Museum was built with the design of Ir. Franky Devule and its construction were completed in 51 days. The Asmat tribe is one of the indigenous tribes in Papua, famous for its extraordinary carving art. Located on the grounds of the Golden Conch Flower Garden with a building area of 6,500 m2, this museum can be reached through two entrances.
History of the Asmat Museum
The establishment of this museum was born on the idea of Mrs. Tien Suharto. The initial goal is to preserve the work of the nation’s children so that they are better known by the wider community and abroad. Ibu Tien Suharto’s interest in the Asmat Tribe focuses on the carvings of her community that can attract international attention.
The size of the Asmat Museum is 6,500 square meters and is located the southeast of the Golden Conch Flower Garden. From the outside, it is evident that this museum is unique. The shape of the building uses a cone-shaped Papuan building model, often referred to as kariwan.
The kariwan became one of the worship buildings for the Tobati Enggros people who lived in Jeotefa Bay. The design of this Museum building still uses sago palm leaves as the roof layer and then uses a hollow model. There are also a variety of decorations typical of the Asmat tribe, which are colored red, black, and white. The process of building this Museum takes approximately 51 days. Then on April 20, 1986, the museum was inaugurated by President Soeharto. There are three buildings with different functions, and the collections inside are also not the same.
Explanation of the three Asmat museum buildings
The three Asmat Museum buildings are used as exhibition rooms for various objects and the indigenous culture of the Asmat tribe. Starting from farming tools, kitchen tools, worship tools, and carving arts to musical instruments.
- The first building explains the relationship between Asmat humans and their environment. In this room are stored Asmat traditional clothes, various jewelry, and dioramas that show the relationship between the Asmat tribe and their environment, such as a diorama that shows the procedures for making Asmat sago.
- The second building explains the relationship between the people and their culture. In this section, many traditional weapons of the Asmat tribe are displayed, used in hunting and foraging for food. In addition, this section also explains various objects related to ancestral spirits, such as spirit boats and statues of mbis.
- The third building explains the relationship between the community and their creativity. In this room are displayed various works of the Asmat tribe that have been influenced by contemporary cultures, such as multiple musical instruments and other accessories.
Asmat Museum Collections
The exhibits are in the form of cultural objects that contain the value of strength and reflect the way of life of the Asmat people, who are always related to their ancestors. The inner bond with the ancestors is manifested in the carvings of symbols on various everyday objects. The exhibition is organized by subject to make it simpler for visitors to comprehend the lives of the Asmat tribe.
One of the famous collections is Jipai or sago plate. This plate was created as an alternative to the scarcity of clay, so it was deliberately made of wood. The scale is oval-shaped and carved with ancestors. The purpose of the carving was so that their ancestors protected food from evil spirits.
Next, there is a collection of skulls of a husband and wife. This skull was taken from a bone that the Asmat people had preserved. The skull is deliberately kept as a tribute to people who died due to inter-tribal wars. Usually, the skull is held under the slaughter in the hope that the spirit can help the problems of the surviving family.
The theme of the first building exhibition was Humans and their Environment, exhibiting various traditional clothes and jewelry, dioramas of livelihoods (menokok sago), spirit boats of ancestral spirits (wuramon), ancestral statues (mbis pole), and various decorative symbols that tell the story of the phenomenon.
Wrapping Up
Besides storing various objects and Asmat culture, this museum is also equipped with audio-visual facilities. Thus it makes visitors can easily understand the information they get. Not only that, interestingly, the Museum also provides a special place for visitors to take pictures of the cultural background of the Asmat tribe. This museum is open every day except Monday from 08.00 to 16.00. This Asmat Museum is open to anyone who wants to visit and increase knowledge about one of the indigenous cultures of the archipelago.
