A forest of Papua sculptures in the Tropenmuseum
The Light Hall of the Tropenmuseum will be turned into a forest of monumental poles. The bisj poles, some more than 12 meters high, are made by the Asmat people from the Indonesian province of Papua (the former Dutch New Guinea). The Asmat believe that natural death is a rare occurrence; most deaths are really caused by evil powers. Until their death is avenged, the spirits of the recently deceased are present among the living. In portraying the ancestor in a meters-high bisj pole, the ancestor is honoured, his death is avenged and the spirit of the deceased is free to leave the living.
Poles with stories
Never before have so many bisj poles been assembled in one exhibition. Of the poles exhibited, 14 are from the Tropenmuseum collection, 37 are from the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, 6 are from the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden and 1 is from a private collector. Some of them are approximately 75 years old, and are therefore the oldest known bisj poles outside of New Guinea. The poles average 7 meters in length, with the longest being more than 12 meters.
Each pole has its own powers of expression and symbolism, and every sculpture mirrors the world view of the Asmat. The exhibition offers a place for stories from various perspectives: from that of the Asmat, from the anthropological perspective and from the collection-history perspective. The exhibition design by Kossmann.dejong Exhibition Architects brings the stories and images to life in an exciting interplay of film, sound and light.
Headhunting
The bisj ceremonies originally had ties to headhunting. By beheading the enemy, the headhunter could gather life force for himself and his community. Bisj poles played a central role in the festivities leading up to the ritual hunts. Headhunting is now a thing of the past, but ancestor worship among the Asmat continues today, and is still coupled with bisj poles.
Events
- 3 November: Museum Night and ‘première’ of the exhibition. For more information and ticket sales: www.n8.nl.
- 11 November: lecture about bisj poles by Kees van den Meiracker, curator for Oceania of the World Arts Museum of Rotterdam.
- 18 November: lecture about the Asmat by biologist and writer Tijs Goldschmidt.
- 25 November: Papua dance workshop.
The lectures and dance workshop are in Dutch and free of charge (included in the price of museum admission) and begin at 2 PM.
Publication
The richly-illustrated catalogue of the same title was written by Paulien van der Zee and will be available in both Dutch and English. Price: €19.95. Publisher: KIT Publishers. ISBN number of Dutch edition: 978 90 6832 482 2; of English edition: 978 90 6832 478 5.
About the Tropenmuseum
The Tropenmuseum presents, researches and promotes knowledge of and interaction between cultures. It offers experiences for a broad and diverse public, utilising all museum resources: exhibitions, collections and expertise, publications, the historic building, educative and other activities. The museum of the Royal Tropical Institute is internationally active in the field of culture and development.
Address:
Linnaeusstraat 2
Amsterdam
+31 (0)20-568 8200
tropenmuseum@kit.nl
www.tropenmuseum.nl
The Tropenmuseum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
On 5, 24 and 31 December the museum is open until 3 pm.
Closed on 1 January, 30 April, 5 May and 25 December.
Press photos
14: photograph Wim van Oijen
The cutting down of the tree that was picked to make a bisj pole
Beriten, 1996
15: photograph Wim van Oijen
The expedition to the town proceeds in the same way as the return of a headhunter journey in the past
Beriten, 1996
17: photograph Wim van Oijen
The bisj pole is fully limed, afterwards the details are painted red and black
Beriten, 1996
18: photograph Wim van Oijen
Bisj ritual: one gets the bisj poles out of the house to publically display them
Siuru, 2000
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