Asmat People

Asmat People live in an area covered with forest, swamps, where the temperature grows very cold when night falls. According to their belief, the world is surrounded by spirits, especially the spirits of their ancestors whom they really respect. Their ancestors are portrayed by their carvings and statues. Asmat people regards everything in nature, the flora, fauna and other materials as important symbols. One of the most important thing among everything is grasshopper. If the shape of grasshopper is observed in three dimensional view, it is like a squatting human, it often has the form of the letter W and N. Why do they choose such thing? For asmat people, male grasshopper, symbolizes sheer sacrifiction. Everybody is supposed to have such virtue. The female grasshopper can only lay eggs if the male one has been eaten by the female.

Possessing one of the most well-known and vibrant woodcarving traditions in Pacific, their art is sought by collectors worldwide. The Asmat inhabit a region on the island's southwestern coast, totaling about 19,000 square kilometers and consisting of mangrove, tidal swamp, freshwater swamp, and lowland rainforest. The land of Asmat is located both within and adjacent to Lorentz National Park and World Heritage Site, the largest protected area in the Asia-Pacific region. The total Asmat population is estimated about 70,000. The term "Asmat" is used to refer both to the people and the region they inhabit.

Turtle is also an animal which is regarded as the symbol of fertility, safety and perfection. Perhaps, it is because turtles can lay so many eggs, live both in water and land, move peacefully towards its bound, slowly but sure. The symbol of turtle can have a universal characteristics since it also exists in other primitive communities besides those in Indonesia, such as in Hinduism, Budhism, Eskimo and Indian. Besides that, there are some other philosophies which are attached to other kinds of animals.

Bird, human should be as free as the bird. Snake, symbolizes Shrewdness and Wisdom , Bat, the symbol which is largely used as ornaments motive of shields which belong to respected and brave people such as the warriors. This ornaments are for a person who has beheaded a great number of enemies. Whirl-water symbolizes the holy spirit. The Letter S represents a holly field in the middle of the forest where the spirits of the dead gather. The symbol of boat, there is a motive of vagina and phalus which symbolizes fertility from the spirit of the ancestors.