For the Asmat people in West Papua, artefacts and body decoration are created for both aesthetic and spiritual purposes. Craftspeople add sacred components to comply with their ancestors' expectations, which are perceptible to their descendants. Body decoration acts on the self, affecting mood and health. My Asmat informants expressed their surprise when they saw some âtribalâ1 art collectors avidly gathering âpiecesâ,2 as if they hoped to capture the aura of the pre-contact Asmat. The most sought-after objects bear an ancestor's name and were involved in head-hunting or cannibalism. This article concerns some of the imagined contents of Asmat artefacts and how their status changes from the time they are made until their integration into Western collections, particularly those of Dutch and German collectors I interviewed in 2003 and 2004.View full textDownload full textKeywordsAsmat, Art Collectors, Tribal Art, Head-hunting, Invisible BeingsRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00664677.2010.515292
展开▼
