Contemporary Traditional Asmat Culture, Part 2

"The Asmat Creation Story: Fumeripits creates People from

Trees"By: Analine Hernandez

January 29, 2012-Period: 5Culture & Geography

Source: Caglayan, Ph.D., Emily. "The Asmat". In Heibrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://www.

metmuseum.org/toah/hd/asma/hd_asma.htm (October 2004); and Mr. Ruben Meza,2012

According to the Asmat tradition: "Fumerpits was the first being to exist on earth, and he also created the first men's ceremonial house [called] a jeu"

"Fumeripits would send his days dancing along the beach, but after awhile grew tired of being alone."

"So he chopped down a number of trees, carved them into human figures, and placed them inside the jeu"

"However, since the sculptures were inanimate, Fumeripits was still happy. He then decided to create a drum, and chopped down another tree, hollowed out the center, and stretched a piece of lizard skin over the top."

"As he began to play the drum, the human figures miraculously came to life, their elbows came unstuck from their knees, and they began to dance."

This is how Fumeripits made people from trees. And the first people were Asmat.