The University of St. Thomas

Asmat Art

Asmat Art

Sago Pounder. The sago pounder is used by men and women to crush the pith of the sago palm to be used for food. This tool is made of an angled piece of rootwood with a split section of bamboo attached on the tip.
Sago Bark Bowl. In some areas the bowl is made from sago spathe and sewn into the shape of a long bowl. They are used on ritual occasions to serve sago worms.
Carved Prow. Prowheads of war canoes are carved in great detail with headhunting symbols and ancestor figures that give the canoe and the men in it the protection and prowess of these representations.
Woven Sago Bag. Men use the bag to carry smoking equipment, tools and magical devices. Women, who usually create the bags, use larger ones to carry firewood, sago and other food.
Mask Costume (jipae). The Body Mask, found only in the coastal and northwest areas of Asmat, is made in great secrecy in the feast house when the time has come to drive certain spirits of ancestors from the village to Safan, the land of the dead.
Sago Bowl. Carved wooden bowls are exclusive to the coastal and northwestern areas and are used for sago and other food. They may be used for paint when the bowl is old and chipped.
Ajour Carvings. This flat openwork creation is an elegant ancestor carving made by the Asmat specifically for trade. The six ancestors portrayed in this carving are joined by a decorative motif using the bird’s head.
Drawing on Wood (Asmat Graffiti). This charcoal drawing was found at the edge of the Beo River by Bishop Sowada, osc, Mr. Tobias Schneebaum and Fr. Ed Greiwe, osc, on a first time expedition.
Arrows. The arrow is used with a bow for hunting and warfare. The shaft is made of bamboo and the tip can also be made of bamboo or sago thorns.
Axe Handle and Stone. The axe, made with a bamboo handle and a stone inserted at the top, is used for chopping.
Crocodile Jawbone Dagger. Made from a crocodile jaw, this dagger would be used for hunting or battle. The tip of this dagger is made extra sharp with a carved horn tip fitted over the bone and held with twine.
Figure Carving. Another contemporary figure carving depicts a male warrior with a drawn bow with arrow. The bamboo arrow is a separate attachment.
Neckrest. This object is made of wood and carved with a design motif of cuscus tails and flying fox feet. At each end is a carved human head. Usually men use this for a headrest.
Bamboo Horn. he primary function of a horn is to terrify the enemy when raiding a village and then to announce the return of the men from battle. In some villages, the horns are sometimes used as musical instruments with drums during feasts.
Figure Carving. Ancestor carvings were the embodiment of the ancestors for whom they were named. This female figure, holding a male child, is a very soft wood and very finely carved, unlike an earlier style that was roughly made and discarded after use.
Figure Carving. This contemporary ironwood carving depicts a squatting woman presenting a fish in her bowl. The covering over her head provides protection from rain. Parts of the body are painted with crushed sea shells.