Asmat's Animism

The coastal population is further divided into 2 parts, namely the Bisman tribe located between the Sinesty River and the Simai tribe on the Nin River. The survival and foraging habits of the 1 tribe and the other tribes in the Citak Mitak district are almost identical. Those who live in Agats are now also accustomed to getting drunk; they are more prone to going berserk, and their wives will also receive more violence.

This habit is carried out because they live in a village near the Baliem River, so that the air temperature during the day feels warm & not as cold as in the morning. Quoting the Indonesia.go.id page, in this tradition, stones will be inserted into a hole about 50 cm deep & stacked with grass, vegetables, meat, betatas, hipere, and bananas. The belief system adopted by the Asmat tribe is generally Catholic, besides Protestant Christianity & animism.

Although there are Catholics & Christians, some Asmat people still adhere to the animism belief system, namely the belief in spirits. Even so, the influence of animism & ancestral spirit beliefs can still be found in the beliefs and customs & religious practices of the Asmat tribe. Just like the Asmat tribe, some Dani people also adhere to an animist belief system.

Animism is a teaching that worships ancestral spirits. They believe that their ancestors in ancient times landed on earth in the mountains. According to the beliefs of the Asmat people, the ancestral Gods once landed on earth in a place far away in the mountains.

Based on the mythology of the Asmat people who live in Flamingo Bay, the God is named Fumeripits. In the mythology of the Asmat people who live in Flamingo Bay, for example, the God is named Fumeripitsy. He was carried away by the current that stranded him on the banks of the Asewetsy River, now the village of Syuru.

Fumeripits is seen as the highest God, above the ancestors of the Asmat tribe, who are considered creators, have higher power & authority. The purpose of this article is to explain the Fumeripits' divinity and reveal how the Asmat people view the role of ancestral spirits in their lives, including how ancestral spirits provide welfare for the living. Based on the Fumeripits myth, the Asmat people believe that their ancestor was a young man who had expertise in the art of carving.

They believe that this world is inhabited by spirits & genies all of which are called demons. Demon spirits. The Asmat people believe that in the environment where humans live, there are also various spirits that they divide into 3 groups.

In addition, the Asmat people also believe that in their area, there are 3 types of spirits, each of which has good, evil, and evil qualities but dies. Yiow / ancestral spirits who are good, especially for their descendants. Osbopan / evil spirits are considered to be of certain types.

Dambin Ow / evil spirits who died stupidly. Some ornaments/motifs that are often used and become the main theme in the process of carving statues carried out by the Asmat people are based on the theme of the ancestors of their tribe, which are usually called mbis. The Asmat people believe that the spirit of the deceased still remains in the village, especially if the person is manifested in the form of an mbis statue, a wooden statue that is 5 - 8 m high.

The bis ceremony is one of the important events in the life of the Asmat tribe because it is related to the carving of ancestral statues if there is a request in a family. But it doesn't stop there, they also often find other ornaments/motifs that resemble boats / wuramon, which they believe are symbols of spirit boats that carry their ancestors in the afterlife. For the native Asmat tribe, wood carving is more of a manifestation of how they perform rituals to commemorate the spirits of their ancestors.

The spirits of the ancestors, to whom they devote themselves, are represented in spectacular wood carvings on canoes, shields / wooden poles carved with human figures. Asmat Carving is a traditional art in the form of carving art, originating from the Asmat tribe & has a very high cultural value, Asmat carving art is very closely related to the Asmat tribe that they believe, especially those closely related to oral traditions contained in myths, legends and fairy tales that they consider sacred & related to the history of the lives of their ancestors who greatly influence their religious life. The Asmat people believe that objects in the form of carving crafts are a link between life in the world and life in the spirit world, especially their ancestors.

Carving is a tradition of life & ritual that is closely related to the spirituality of life and respect for ancestors. Through carving art, the Asmat tribe remains connected to their ancestors. In addition, Asmat carving art also represents respect for ancestral spirits who are believed to protect sago plants & ensure the survival of their community.

Sago trees are seen as a symbol of life that connects them with their ancestors and the surrounding environment. Another way is to place the body in a long mortar boat with supplies such as sago & sago worms to then be released in the river & then carried by the current to the sea to the spirit's final resting place. Newborn babies who then die are considered common & they are not too sad because they believe that the baby's spirit wants to go to the spirit world immediately.

Until the end of the 20th century, Asmat youths fulfilled their obligations & devotion to fellow members, to their ancestors, and at the same time proved their masculinity by bringing the heads of their enemies, while the body parts were offered to be eaten by other family members in the village. It takes approximately 6 - 8 weeks to make a statue of an ancestor / deceased relative. This war ceremony is intended to expel evil spirits & at this time, women have the opportunity to hit men they hate/have hurt their feelings.

According to belief, this is caused by the spirits of deceased family members who have not been taken to their final resting place, which is an island at the mouth of the Sirets River. At that time, the bereaved family will say that revenge has been carried out & they hope that the deceased spirit will depart for Sirets Island peacefully. To help the ancestors experience liberation from damir ow capinmi.

This tradition is carried out because the Asmat tribe believes that the spirits of the deceased are still in the village. They also often hold various ceremonies & traditions to maintain and honor the spirits of their ancestors. For the tribe that inhabits the southern coast of Papua Island, art is a balancer of life, both with fellow humans, the environment / with the spirits of the ancestors.

While the form of activity that is usually performed is humans who are fighting, hunting / fishing, not infrequently they also make reflections on the life activities of the Asmat ancestors.