90
10a
FEATURE
would call him by his assumed name and welcome
him like family. It was strictly forbidden to kill someone
who, through his ritual name, was related to the
headhunter’s village. Such individuals were often
chosen to be negotiators.
Among other rituals, the initiation ceremony was
a way to deal with the angry spirits of decapitated
victims. These spirits, which had good reason to
seek revenge, were seen as harmful to the community.
However, when these spirits realized that their
names had been passed on to others, who also had
taken up their responsibilities and duties, they understood
that they were no longer needed and were
free to depart.
Headhunting raids on neighbors also served to
promote the defense of home territory and safeguard
the food supply provided by agricultural gardens. It
also underscored the social position of the warrior
through prestige and manliness, a bundle of skulls
being a measure of his prowess. Although men were
the perpetrators of headhunting raids, women were
not completely innocent. According to Father Zegwaard,
women would prod the men into action
by denying them sexual satisfaction (per. comm.,
Zegwaard to M. Stevens). There are also reports
that women joined the raids, shouting from behind
shields to encourage their men and insult the enemy
(Kjellgren 2007).
ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS
In fi eld photos of Asmat warriors, their nose ornaments
at fi rst glance appear to be arbitrary, abstract
forms. However, when a large number of them are
compared, certain patterns emerge. We selected forty
examples from our sample, and in our analysis
fi ve categories emerged (fi g. 8). A prototype of each
will be analyzed in detail below and compared with
other objects featuring similar iconography. In four
of the fi ve groups, it emerges that the praying mantis
(Rhombodera papuana) featured as inspiration to
the artist. A potent headhunting symbol, this insect
offers an almost literal analog to the Asmat ritual,
since the female mantis eats the head of the male
during copulation. In dying in this manner, the male
mantis “offers” his nutritious head in order to allow
the female’s eggs a better chance of survival (fi g. 7b).
A stunning example of how the praying mantis is
used as a motif in Asmat art is the dagger shown in
fi gure 7a, on which an image of a nearly anatomically
correct insect is carved into the bone.
FIG. 10a: Detailed analysis
of a nose ornament from
group A. It corresponds to
pictogram d. The same motif
is observed in a wooden
sculpture (from Tribal Art 73
(2014), p. 112, fi g. 17), in a
drum, and in a bone dagger.
For each, at left: object
photo; middle: schematic
drawing; right: simplifi ed
drawing that relates to the
pictogram.