Asmat People

Asmat comes from Papua Province. Asmat were among the tribes Mappi, Yohukimo and Jayawijaya between various tribes in the Papua island. As with other tribes that are in Papua island, there Asmat tribe who live in the coastal areas with the distance of 100 km to 300 km, even Asmat are located in the countryside, surrounded by heterogeneous forests containing rattan plants, wood (aloes) and tubers.

Asmat tribe scattered and inhabit around the coast of Arafuru sea and Jayawijaya mountains. In the

life of the Asmat, stones that we usually see on the street is very valuable to them. The residence of Asmat that shaped swamp making it very difficult to find stones. They use the stones to make axes, hammers, and so on. In fact, the stones can be used as a dowry. 

Asmat has a very simple way to make up themselves. they just need the red soil to produce a red color, to produce white color they use clamp shells that have been mashed. black color they produced from pulverized wood charcoal. How to use is very simple, by mixing the materials with a little water and dye then use to color the body.

Asmat traditional house known as the Jew, is a home designed for all activities that are traditional. For example, for a custom meeting, doing the work make noken (traditional bag Asmat), wood carving, and also the house of Bujang. Therefore, the ouse also called as a  Bujang house. This House is unique because it was made very long, even up to 50 meters. Because the Asmat are not familiar with the nails, they making the Jew house without nails.

There is another traditional house Asmat, Tysem. This house can also called as a family home, because that stay in this house are those who have married. Usually, there are 2 to 3 pairs of families who stay in Tysem. The size of Tysem is smaller than the Jew house. The location of the Tysem house usually around the house Jew. A Jew house normally surrounded about 15 to 20 Tysem houses.

In the Asmat tribe they also know spirits and magical power. Demons Life, Asmat people closely to the natur. They belief that the place where they life is inhabited by spirits, devils, which are all called with devil.

The devil classified into two categories: 

• The Satan life threatening. The Satan who is believed to endanger life by the Asmat as demons that threaten life and soul. Like the pregnant women devil who have died or demons that live in the beringin tree, the spirit that brought disease and disasters (Osbopan). 
• The Satan are not life threatening. The Satan in this category are considered by Asmat as the devil that does not endanger the life and soul of a person, just like to scare and disturb it. In addition, the Asmat also familiar to good spirits especially for his descendants., Which is derived from ancestral spirits known as yi-ow. 

Magical powers and magic. Asmat People also believe in the existence of magical powers that are mostly existence as a taboo. Many things done in a manner that abstinence doing everyday activities, such as in the case of collecting food such as sago, fishing, and hunting. This magical powers can also be used to find lost things, swag or show the thiefed goods. There is also the use of this magical power to dominate nature and brings out the wind, thunder, rain, and typhoons.