Asmat
The Homeland Of Among The Most Celebrated Woodcarvers On Earth, Whose Ancestor Poles Stand In Major Museums Worldwide; Its Main Town Is Built Entirely On Boardwalks Above Tidal Mud · Agats, South Papua
THE ASMAT ARE AMONG THE MOST CELEBRATED WOODCARVERS IN THE WORLD. Their BISJ POLES - ancestor poles carved from mangrove, standing several metres high with figures stacked one above another - are held in the Metropolitan, the Tropenmuseum and half the great ethnographic collections on earth, and they were carved for a purpose: TO HONOUR THE UNAVENGED DEAD, in a culture where carving, headhunting and ritual revenge were bound together. THE OTHER THING THE OUTSIDE WORLD KNOWS ABOUT ASMAT IS A DISAPPEARANCE. In 1961 MICHAEL ROCKEFELLER, son of the governor of New York, VANISHED HERE while collecting Asmat art; his body was never found and the most persistent account is that he was killed at Otsjanep in revenge for a Dutch patrol years earlier. AGATS, THE MAIN TOWN, HAS NO ROADS - it is built entirely on ironwood boardwalks above tidal mud, and the tide comes in underneath you while you walk. Getting here takes two flights and a speedboat, and almost nobody makes the journey.
Asmat Regency, South Papua, Agats, South Papua, Indonesia
REACHED BY AIR AND BOAT AND NOT EASILY. The usual route is a flight to TIMIKA, then a SMALL AIRCRAFT TO EWER on a limited and weather-dependent schedule, then a SPEEDBOAT OF ABOUT FORTY MINUTES to AGATS. Flights are cancelled often - BUILD IN SPARE DAYS AT BOTH ENDS. THE ASMAT MUSEUM OF CULTURE AND PROGRESS in Agats keeps daytime hours and is the place to start. REACHING THE CARVING VILLAGES MEANS HIRING A LONGBOAT AND A GUIDE, arranged in Agats and taking anything from hours to a full day each way. THE ANNUAL ASMAT CULTURAL FESTIVAL AND CARVING AUCTION is usually held around October. PAPUA'S PERMIT AND SECURITY SITUATION CHANGES - check current advice. MALARIA HERE IS SERIOUS. Bring cash; banking is minimal.