Asmat Cassowary Bone Dagger (Pi Pisuwe) bangles A finely cast small bronze

A finely cast small bronze buckle

or a woven hair net—while women wore grass skirts (sili) before marriage and fibre-coil or seed-strand skirts (yokal) afterward

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flowing mane with a prominent forelock

and spiritual life—a testament to one of the world’s most enduring tribal traditions

Asmat Cassowary Bone Dagger (Pi Pisuwe) bangles A finely cast small bronzeAsmat people, early to mid 20th century, Irian Jaya (Papua), Indonesia A superb early cassowary bone dagger. Daggers of this type are known as pi pisuwe, while those carved from human femur were reserved for the most sacred and high status contexts. Although carried during displays of warfare, bone daggers were principally used in ritual killings, initiations, and ceremonial attire, symbolising courage, prestige and ancestral power. The Asmat inhabit