Spotlight on Students: Asmat Cultural Change

The following is a post written by a student, Taylor Morris.  This post highlights her work that she completed as part of her requirements in Ant 411: Culture Areas of the World.  Students have the opportunity to explore material through their own research.  Please show your appreciation for her work through the comments.

By: Taylor Morris

Curiosity Question: How did the Asmat integrate and keep their new ways of life and cultural change with their old traditions through the years?

            The Asmat people of Guinea have a very unique culture that has changed over the years. They have had a few changes that they have faced through the years and they are group of people who have just recently began to culturally assimilate with the rest of the world. The documented history of the Asmat by early explorers is the only written account of the early days. Within the last 70 years is where religion and their cultural change have existed.

            The Asmat people did not accept outsiders and explorers in the early years. They made sure to keep explorers and any other outsiders from their lands. In doing this, it kept outside influence and cultural change from happening until the 20^th century. Sudden changes that took place in their society have been documented due to the late contact. The first missionary contact was established by the Catholics in 1912. The focus was to study how the Asmat people lived and to trade with them. The Dutch established the port of Agats as a trading station in 1954.

            Catholic missionaries had also set up trade for ironwood. The wood was shipped to Merauke, along with other materials, like a Bis pole. A Bis pole is a ritual created by the Asmat to pay homage and show respect to ancestors, to bring peace and rest to the dead, and to bring spiritual unity and strength to the community. Many explorers became very interested in the art and took pieces back with them. The increase in wanting more artifacts led to an increase in carving.

            The Dutch museum was able to obtain over 50 Bis poles by 1963. Catechists would begin to learn the local languages and teaching the people Catholicism. The Indonesian language was also taught. In the next few years, there was tension brewing between the natives and the government. Head hunting was still common in the Asmat society and between villages. Headhunting is the practice among some peoples of collecting the heads the dead enemies.  

             The Republic of Indonesia took control of the country in 1963. The Indonesian government had no use or interest in the Asmat people and looked at them as useless and needed nothing in trade. They believed that the Asmat carvings were related to Satan worship, although they were carvings that contained spirits. The Indonesian government wanted to destroy Asmat society and felt that they had to be made into civilized members of society. The government wiped out everything the Asmat had ever known and they were told that head hunting and cannibalism was no longer allowed. Alphonse Sowada became Bishop of Agats in 1969. He had traveled to New Guinea after receiving his master’s Degree in Anthropology and wanted to understand and teach the Asmat, after becoming bishop.

The missionary church never forbidden feasting or carving, and this allowed the Asmat to keep some of their traditions alive through church. Sowado encouraged the Asmat to continue with their carvings and they had combined some of their traditional art forms with the Catholic ritual. This helped them understand Christianity better. The Asmat also wanted to keep the tradition of feasting going. They believed that this could be achieved without the use of violence compared to earlier times. In 1970, the government agreed to let the Asmat have a Sago Grub Fest. Between 1974 and 1980, the government began to accept carving again in Asmat and they organized logging projects.

The Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress opened in 1973. Asmat people visit the museum and see it as a place where the spirits are. Asmat carvings are involved in the spiritual everyday life of the Asmat people. There is so much about Asmat rituals and beliefs that we don’t know. They are a unique group of people with their own beliefs and cultures who are looked at as uncivilized and not part of society, but they are. There needs to be traditions continued in the Asmat society to keep their own unique culture thriving.

                                    Bibliography

Caglayan, Ph.D., Emily. “The Asmat.” In Heibrum Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-.

Hair Raising Facts About Ancient Egyptian Hairstyles

Today’s blog post will feature a slightly different type of post, one that is both informative and fun: an expose’ on ancient Egyptian hairstyles.  When it comes to studies of the past very few scholars focus on the complexities of personal hygiene.  This is for a good reason: more often than not this is a topic that is not easily gleaned from the archaeological record.  Soft tissue, including hair, does not preserve and survive well in the archaeological record in many places in the world, but in the deserts of Egypt these items and more preserve very well, thereby allowing interested scholars to study this topic.  In addition, Egyptian scholars also have the added bonus of the rich Egyptian history that the ancient Egyptians and outsiders recorded, as well as iconography and material culture evidence to help form a complete picture of ancient Egyptian hairstyles.  In this post we will explore the different types of hairstyles and practices related to hair throughout ancient Egyptian history.

Figure 1: Egyptian wig

 

Hair was incredibly important to ancient Egyptians.  There is evidence that regularly washes of one’s hair took place, although it is unknown how often such activities took place.  There is material culture evidence of hair brushes, combs, clips, and clasps used to maintain and style hair.  Thick hair was preferred above all else, although there were fashion and occupational preferences toward shaving one’s head.  A variety of stone, copper, and bronze razors were used for such purposes. 

The importance of hair took several forms, including the use of wigs, hair extensions, and hair dyes.  Men and women would sometimes shave their head or cut their hair very short and wear wigs (Figure 1).  Originally a practice exclusively reserved for the elites and royal family it eventually became commonplace among all members of Egyptian society.  Wigs were created from a variety of materials, and those materials determined the expense of the wig.  Wigs of human hair were the priciest, followed by those made of human hair and vegetable fibers, and the cheapest wigs were made exclusively of vegetable fibers.  Ultimately, the more realistic the wig the steeper the price, so in this way wigs were a means of identifying wealth and social status among the wearers.  Wigs were sometimes made of a variety of precious stones, which were exclusively worn by the Pharaohs and their family members.  Wigs would be styled into specific hairstyles and/or adorned with gold strands, beads, flowers, etc.  Men and women wore wigs, which were affixed to the head using beeswax, and wigs were oftentimes scented with flowery perfumes to add to the allure of the person’s beauty.

Figure 2: Comb and hair extensions

 

Hair extensions were another option among ancient Egyptians (Figure 2), particularly among those who could not afford pricey wigs.  Extensions were worn in one’s hair to produce the desired thick hair texture, as well as to hide the symptoms of thinning or balding hair.  Wealthy Egyptians would often times style their hair with wigs and extensions, whereas others would only rely on extensions. 

Dying hair was also commonplace among ancient Egyptians (Figure 3).  Graying hair was seen as ugly, so henna dyes, as well as the blood of black animals, were used to revitalize the color into the hair.  Unfortunately, these hair dyes did not produce the desired effects as they did not return the dark brown or black colors to the hair.  Instead the hair would be dyed orangish-red as a result of the henna dyes.  Those who sought the darker hair colors would use the blood of black animals in the hopes that the blood would dye the hair black to match the color of the animals, but this was for not.

Figure 3: Evidence of dyed hair among ancient Egyptian woman

 

Ancient Egyptians hairstyles were also indicative of gender, occupation, and age.  Men and women were expected to have different hairstyles.  Men were expected to have short to shoulder length hair, dependent on the stylistic preference of the period, whereas women were expected to always have their hair long and styled according to their social status.  The more elaborate the hairstyle the higher one’s status.  Hairstyles were also associated with occupational class.  While this aspect of Egyptian culture is not completely known at this time it is clear that the priests were expected to shave all the hair off their bodies, which is believed to have served the specific purpose of avoiding lice infestations that would have impaired their ability to practice rituals.  Also, while Egyptians frowned upon balding pre-pubescent children had their heads shaved, except for a lock referred to as the “lock of youth”, a long strand of hair that grew from the back of the head.  This lock of youth was shaved off young boys upon reaching puberty so they could begin to grow the appropriate short hair style, whereas young girls were allowed to grow the remainder of their hair out to don their appropriate long hair styles.

In conclusion, ancient Egyptians valued hair as much as modern peoples today, if not more so.  Ancient Egyptians used wigs, extensions, and hair dyes to maintain the preferred full, thick hair.  Hairstyles also provided information about one’s identity, specifically related to social status, gender, occupation, and age.  Next time you are working on your hair consider how much this desire to style one’s hair has existed for centuries, and it may be one more thing that binds all human groups together.

References

Alchin, L.  2017.  “Egyptian Hairstyles.”  History Embalmed.org.  Siteseen Ltd.

Collins, S.  No Date.  “Ancient Egyptian Hair and Beauty.”  Ancient Egypt.  Tripod.com

Hays, J.  2012.  “Beauty, Hairstyles, and Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt.”  Facts and Details.com

Live Science Staff.  2014.  “Photos: 3,300 Year Old Egyptian Hairstyles Revealed.”  Live Science.com

No Author.  2009.  “Hair and Wigs.”  Ancient Egypt: Hair and Wigs.  Reshafim.org

Springer, I.  2001.  “Great Hair Days in Ancient Egypt.”  Tour Egypt.net.

Group Love: Primate Social Organization

There are several characteristics that define the order of Primates, but one of the most important is that all primates are very social creatures.  You will typically find primates of all species types in either pairs or groups, and even if they are alone they are typically not for very long.  Despite being social there are actually different ways primates are social, or group together, and today's blog post will address the various types of primate social groupings that exist.

Figure 1: Orangutans

There are six types of social groupings.  The first type is called the female-bonded kin group.  This grouping is characterized by groups of females who associate with each other.  The males will typically be more solitary, avoiding each other but not necessarily engaging in violence if they come in contact with each other.  The females will raise their young together and engage in (primarily sexual) contact with males.  This type of social grouping is common among orangutans (Figure 1).

Figure 2: Gibbons

The second type of social grouping is the monogamous pair groups, which is where mated pairs exist either alone or with their offspring.  This type is commonly found among gibbons (and Western human societies; Figure 2), but it is not the most typical type of social grouping among all primates, which is in part an excuse some humans use in arguing against monogamy.

Figure 3: Tamarin monkeys

The third social grouping is the polyandrous group.  Poly means many, and androus means men, meaning there are multiple male partners for one female.  While less prevalent among human groups it is found among Tamarin monkeys and several other small New World primates (Figure 3).

Figure 4: Howler monkey

The fourth type of social grouping is actually more commonplace among various groups of primates.  The one male group is a bit of a misnomer, but it refers to a larger number of females with fewer males, which is the opposite of the polyandrous group.  You can think of it as males with multiple female partners.  This is actually quite common among several human cultural groups across the globe, as well as can be found among Howler monkeys (Figure 4).

Figure 5: Rhesus macaques

The multimale group is also a misnomer.  It refers to multiple males and females who reside in a group.  There is typically no monogamous pair groupings as males and females will typically mate and interact with each other at will.  There may be repeat partnerships or long term relationships in some cases, typically with a primary male who commands that sort of control among females.  You can find this type of grouping among rhesus macaques (Figure 5).

Figure 6: Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees characterize the final social grouping, which is a fission-fusion grouping (Figure 6).  This type of social grouping is made up of various groups of different sizes and compositions coming together to share members.  Among fission-fusion groupings, males or females will leave their home groups to enter new ones, diversifying the gene pools of every group.  Much like with the multimale group there is also some sort of male and female hierarchy within each group where there is a dominant male and dominant female who decides how sexual relations among group members will take shape.

References

Jurmain, Robert, Kilgore, Lynn, Trevathan, Wenda, Ciochon, Russell L. Introduction to Physical Anthropology. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 2014. Print.

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