Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world, consisting of 17,504 islands stretching from the ends of Sabang to Merauke. No wonder that in Indonesia there are so many ethnic groups, languages and religions. but with the motto of Unity in Diversity all these differences can be used as a source of national strength. Consisting of many tribes is not the reason for divorce, it is the difference that becomes the unifier. One of the many tribes in Indonesia is the Asmat.
The Asmat tribe is one of the major tribes that inhabit the territory of Indonesia, precisely located in Papua, Irian Jaya. The Asmat name is derived from the word As-Akat which means the right person. Or another definition is Osamat which means tree house. the Asmat tribe population is divided into two according to their residence, the first inhabiting the coast and the second inhabiting the interior of Papua. not only are they different in terms of where they live they also have differences in ways of life, dialects, social structures and rituals that are lived.
Then the population of the Asmat tribe on the coast is further divided into two parts, between the Nin River and Sinesty River inhabiting the Bisman tribe and the second Simai Tribe. The population of this tribe is approximately 70,000. the largest tribe that inhabits the Papua region is indeed famous for its beautiful and unique wood carvings. For local residents, wood carving is an embodiment to commemorate the spirits of their ancestors in a ritual. besides carving wood is an activity as a means of interacting with ancestors.
Some of the unique traditions of the Asmat tribe that are not carried out by any tribe include:
1. Mumification of the ChiefThe uniqueness of the first Asmat tribe lies in the way this tribe respects its deceased chief. If the traditional head or tribal chief dies, the body will be stored in the form of a mummy. The mummification process is carried out by providing natural ingredients and then placed on the fireplace. The purpose of this fireplace is to make the body exposed to smoke and will blacken over time. usually the body is placed in a sitting position, another unique thing is that this body will be displayed in front of the joglo. But this process is only if the person is the chief of the tribe because if the ordinary person is to be buried. the tradition of finger segment cutting applies to this tribe when relatives die. This tradition was carried out as a form of condolence for the death of someone.
2. Breastfeeding PigsAnother unique tradition of the Asmat people is when a woman has to breastfeed a piglet until she is five years old. This has been done for generations so that it is not something that is alien to the Asmat people. residing in the wild makes this tribe very friendly with nature no wonder if there are still those who live on trees that are transformed into a house. in addition, this tribe often holds parties that aim to save people who are still alive from the disturbances of spirits who died. Because they believe that people who have died will disturb people who are still alive. the disorder can be in the form of a disaster, illness or even war. Parties that are held include the bus or bioscokombi statue party, masquerade party, boat party and the last party of sago caterpillars.
3. Bis CeremonyAnother unique tradition is the bus ceremony, the bus ceremony is an important tradition related to the engraving of an ancestral statue (bus) what if requested by the family concerned. this ceremony was once a ceremony that was carried out if there was a family member killed, then the death must be repaid by killing the family member of the murderer.
