Ancestors and Woodcarving

For the Asmat, carving is part of the ritual and religious life of the community. Their carvings act as mediators between society and the world of their ancestors. The Asmat believe that spirits, especially those of the ancestors, control the activities of the living. Through carvings, the Asmat make direct contact with their ancestors. Each carving is named for someone who has recently died. Once the carving is named, it embodies the spirit of that person. Carvings play a key role in many Asmat ceremonies and during the feasts associated with them.

Ancestor (Bisj) poles are spectacular traditional carvings. Consisting of two or more human figures carved one above the other, an ancestor pole can reach a height of 25 feet. Each pole is carved from the soft wood of the mangrove tree. The wing, Cemen, is a root left intact when the tree is cut down. Each figure on the pole represents a person who has died. Oftentimes, the Bisj poles were carved in conjunction with feasting which preceded a head hunting raid.

War shields are also tremendous expressions of Asmat art. The ancestors for whom each shield is named are believed to embody the shields and they give tremendous power and strength to the warrior when going into battle. The combination of the ancestor’s strength and that of the symbolic designs on the shield’s surface are believed to terrify the enemy so that the foe runs away or drops his weapons and becomes immobilized.

The Asmat use only three colors in carvings: white, red, and black. All have spiritual as well as decorative manifestations.

White (lime) comes from mussel shells that have been burned and crushed. Painted on canoes, white gives speed, strength and protection. On figure carvings, white represents human skin. Red comes from mud found along river banks. After baking in fire, the mud is a deep rich red. When the red is painted on canoes, they become faster in moving down the rivers. Red applied around a man’s eyes imitates the eye feathers of an angry cockatoo which brings fear to the enemy. On figure carvings, red is used to outline scarifications and to separate black hair from white skin. Black comes from charcoal and signifies body hair on the carvings.