Asmat Woodcarving Art

Asmat Carving Pattern, Asmat Tribe, West Papua (Photo Courtesy of Ushuaia, 2000)


Asmat woodcarving is considered one among the world's finest. To the Asmat, woodcarving was inextricably connencted with the spirit world, and therefore, the carving can not just be principally considered aesthetic objects.

Much of the highly original art of the Asmat is symbolic of warfare, headhunting, and warrior-ancestor veneration.

For centuries, the Asmat were preoccupied with the necessity of appeasing ancestor spirits, producing a wealth of superbly designed shields, canoes, sculptured figures, and drums.
(Articles Courtesy of Footprint Adventures)



Asmat Art Museum, West Papua (Photo Courtesy of Ushuaia, 2000)