Several tribes in Indonesia have unique traditions, such as the funeral rituals of Asmat. Curious about the funeral rituals in the Asmat tribe? The following article is a brief explanation of the ritual by the Asmat tribe:
Asmat Tribe
Living in South Papua, the Asmat are one of the largest tribes in Papua. Based on their residency, the Asmat tribe is divided into two. Those are the Asmat tribes that inhabit the coast and the Asmat tribes that live in the hinterland.
The Asmat tribe is one of the tribes in Papua that has a culture that symbolizes their identity. This tribe has a lot of unique and interesting cultural diversity and traditions. One of the fascinating Asmat cultures is their funeral ritual.
Asmat Tribe’s Perspective on Death
The Asmat tribe has a unique belief about someone’s death. According to the thoughts of the Asmat tribe, the death of a person is not natural. For the Asmat tribe, a person’s death is related to the presence of an evil spirit that interferes with the person who died.
The Asmat people believe that the death of someone in their tribe is initiated by magical powers, especially if the person who died is still relatively young. This opinion is inversely proportional if the deceased is a newborn baby.
In the Asmat tribe, a newborn baby who later died is considered a common thing or not a sad thing. The Asmat thinks that the death of a newborn baby is because the baby’s spirit wants to go to the spirit realm.
When a Member of the Tribe is Sick
In the Asmat tribe, the closest family members will gather if a family member or relative is suffering (sick). People will gather and sit around the sick person because they believe death will soon pick up the ill person.
The closest family will only crowd around the sick person without treating or feeding them because they believe that the person will die anytime soon. In the Asmat tradition, next to the house of the sick one, there will be a series of fences that the Asmat make from palm tree branches. They call it Nypa.
The Mourning
If a family member dies, the Asmat tribe, who are in mourning, will take turns hugging the body of that family member. After that, the family members and relatives left behind would roll around in the mud.
Asmat people will show their sorrow by crying for several days or months. The families left behind would also shave their hair. Some also cover their faces and use hats to make them look less attractive to others.
Asmat Death Rituals
The Asmat tribe does not bury the bodies of their dead tribe members. When someone is sick and then dies, the Asmat tribe will place the corpse on Para or woven bamboo and let it rot. In this death ritual, the bodies of the Asmat tribe are placed far from the village.
After a while, the Asmat tribe will collect the bones of the corpses that they let rot earlier. People will store the bones in a tree, and the family members will keep the skull. Family members will use the skulls they keep as pillows. For the Asmat, this is a symbol of love for the dead.
In their tradition, the Asmat tribe will make a Mbis or sculpture carving to honor the people who have just died. The Asmat people do this because they believe that the spirits of the dead still roam around the house.
Well, that’s a brief discussion about the funeral rituals of Asmat. Hopefully, this information about Asmat tribe rituals is informative and augments your knowledge.
