Foreign visitors have expressed their admiration for Asmat wooden carvings in an auction during the 26th Asmat Cultural Festival at the Yos Sudarso field in Asmat regency capital of Agats, Papua, on Tuesday.
The visitors, who were from various countries and on a cruise together, crowded the field to buy original Asmat handicrafts.
The Asmat Cultural Festival, organized yearly by the Agats Diocese and working together with the local administration, has been paying serious attention to sculptors found in the seven remote districts in Asmat.
Asmat Regent Beakai said in the 1980s these villagers already had the potential skills to carve sculptures from logs, but at the time Asmat carvings were still largely unknown to the outside world.
The Asmat carvings currently being displayed in the festival have their own distinctiveness compared to previous years as their quality and quantity have been further improved.
More uniquely, in this year's festival, Asmat women are involved in the event, displaying and auctioning a number of woven crafts that demonstrate their skills.
The wooden carvings, woven bags and other handicrafts produced by the women indicate that they are very creative and have high ideals in improving the skills of the Asmat community.
"This shows that the Asmat women and men are on par with other Indonesians," Beakai said.
He added the annual festival was able to promote and sell Asmat carvings thanks to the support from various stakeholders.
These supporters included PT Freeport Indonesia gold and a copper mining company, which provided air transportation for the visitors between Timika to Agats.
In 2008, PT Freeport Indonesia provided four flights to Agats for visitors and company expatriates who wished to attend the festival.
During the current festival, PT Freeport Indonesia also provided flights from Timika to Agats.
The presence of visitors and expatriates has contributed much to the Asmat community.
Organizing committee head of the Asmat Cultural Festival, Agats archbishop Mgr. Aloysius Moerwito said the theme of the festival - "Asmat: A world heritage" - served as a challenge in preserving and developing cultural values, which is in line with the development of wood carvers found in the seven remote districts of Asmat.
The organizing committee received 50 handwoven bags made of tree bark and combined with cassowary bird feathers to be auctioned off to visitors.
A wooden table carved by Wesli Wiap from Yaptambor village fetched Rp 35 million (US$3,500) in the auction on Monday. It depicts a story about hostility between villages.
A wooden relief carving by Daniel Ayas from Atsi village was sold for Rp 26 million on Tuesday. It depicts the tale of a person who decapitates another person and is heartily welcomed by villagers.
Agats bishop Mgr. Moerwito said the works created by the traditional carvers continued to evolve from year to year and that their originality was a special trait of the Asmat tribe.
"The original carvings by the Asmat community found in the villages have amused foreign as well as domestic visitors," he said.
"They still have magical powers from the ancestral spirits of the Asmat tribe."
He added that the Asmat community strongly believed that the spirit of their ancestors were still around and showed this in their carvings.
"The Asmat carvings and weavings by the women also represent their religious values."
Moerwito said 118 wooden carvings and woven handicrafts were auctioned off for Rp 751 million during the second day of the festival, which will run until Oct. 16.
Foreign visitor Matthew Thiel said he was very impressed by the Asmat carvings.
"The original carvings indicate the amazing creativity of the traditional Asmat community," he said.
