Contemporary Traditional Asmat Culture, part 2 "The Asmat Creation

Story: Fumeripits creates People from Trees"

By Brandon Oroxon, 2/7/12Period 1, Culture and

Geography

According to the tradition:"Fumeripits was the first being to exist on earth, and he also created the first mens

ceremonial house called a jeu."

Fumeripits would spend his days dancing along the beach, but after a while he 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 unhappy. He then decided to

create a drum, and chopped down a 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.