WOMAN OF ASMAT

 

WOMAN OF ASMAT

(The Picture of Life’s Dimension)

By:

Dewi linggasari

*A not for my children

BACKGROUND

Woman of Asmat are dark picture of life which are never include on the wall an exhibition with dazzling lights. The most terrible effect of the three-decade centralization of development, with the obligatory social intership and bottom-up planning which are stopped, seems to be the most forgettable phase of history. Probably, the woman it selves do not realaize that they have been living on a rich land, bordered by the sea which also contains varied wealth. But until the recent time, when woman have got proper education right and have reaceh determining political positions, woman in Asmat are still stuck in domestic life, being pregnant, giving birth, raising children, then go through jungle to harvest some sagu or web-fishing.

Fulfilling house-needs for the sake of going-on life is the job os Asmat women, with no expectation. Husband is the head of the family who give order all the time, in any condition, making or not making an obligatory living for their family. Women could not deny the husband’s dictation, they have to obey or their husband would punish them with any kinds of violence, beaten up and torched until the time of dying.

When outside contact introducing civilization has not yet been systematically organized, Asmat’s life was hunting anf gathering. War and cutting off the opponents’ heads were living strategies and proves, of mankind’s maturity and ability as the head expelling ghosts and devils, improving their physical strength, sagu forestation, and competing stating one’s courage to be the leader of war. When such a tradition was still the main life style, men had permanent job. Rituals were held to give men courage in war. While women served men in everything men need when the war was on. Woman were put in a low position and were even lowered by the local culture.

Asmat tribe started their contact with the world outside systematically, when missionaries made a trip to Asmat,s area in about 1950s. on February 4 th 1953, the first church was opened by Pastor Zegwasrd and Pastor Welling. At that time, the habit of doing war and cutting off heads still rooted in their tradition, and so was polygamy. Following Mansoeben, Pastor Zegwaard’s report revealed that, in 1952 in the countryside of Syuru, from 101 married men, there were 42 men practiced polygamy (1995: 77). The fact such as that is understood that polygamy was caused by the war among rural societies. According to the census of 1980 Asmat inhabitants were 45.446 lives which spread in four governmental areas that are: Agats, Sawa Erma, Atsy, and Pantai Kasuari. Agats people were counted 6.032 lives in the late 1990s, and were consisting of 3.329 men and 3.052 women. Although the numbers of woman decreased, poligay was still happening, while the violence occurring in family completed the complication which women should deal with.

Children, as the national aspiration, are the first victims of household violence, they not getting full security and education which is considered proper. The building of human resources quality in order to change the life’s prosperity od asmat was also pawned. With no voice, the woman have spoken that t hey could not bear the burden of life in solitude. In the family life, women are supposed to be ‘a burdened horse’, and ‘burdened horse’ is not the stiff hand which turns children into proper human resources. Asmat move slowly. Programs which were applied with the up-down system, done without any survey or observation, could not succed to break the social lock-up. Women of Asmat take all risk from this non-synchronized circumstance. It there any resolution?

Tens of years after the development centralization which ended on crisis of monetary and is followed by reformation, the life in Asmat’s area seemed to be choked, loosing ground, and broken apart. The misery of life ontimually lasts as an ember in a bunch of husk that gentle wind-blow be enough to fire it up. A criticl situation which was flavored with chaos and tension, affected the forward movement of social contruction seemed to be ceased. Woman of Asmat carried heavier load, because of the expense of the primary need. Once again, they had no choice, expert carrying the whole of life’s burden, every single day. Arguing and fighting became a sort of expression to spit the anger out. Finally, automatic goverment was formed a more-directed developing concept.

Hoe, though vague, started to appear. Time showed all proves. Lon process with work hardwas a guarantee of a change. Endeavoring asmat woman, to trn them into the tough hands for the building of the continuing generation, was not simply a package of applied program which can be report throught  some fictious account of responsibility –SPJ—as job’s formality. Change requires some amount of resonsibility, full involvement of all sides, and continuity, but not only formality.

This writing bring forward the life of Asmat woman surrounded by problem. Part 1 includes early marriage, health, and violence against women. Part 2 discusses on Asmat women’s efforts in working to make money. Part 3 discusses on hope of changes. The  data collection was made through an observing participation since the middle of 1996, when the writter started to work as a Representative of Family Planning Field  Worker in Agats unitil it was finished. Statistic data functions as complementary to support this writing in whole.

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