Ci, Gender and Social Change Among the Asmat of Papua, Indonesia

Onesius Otenieli Daeli

Sidestone Press, 2020 - History - 165 pages

Ci is the Asmat word for dugout canoe. The ci is an integral part of the everyday life of the Asmat - an ethnic group residing in eastern Indonesia in Papua province (formerly Irian Jaya) - who live in the middle of a huge tidal swampy area. Owning a ci is part of the Asmat's habitus because ci is a guarantee for mobility, both individually and collectively. The ci is essential for the everyday lives of the Asmat. However, the existence of these dugout canoes is now critical as they tend to be replaced by machinery boats.

This book uses a very simple piece of material culture, the ci, to introduce readers to the Asmat people and inform them how the Asmat people live. The ci becomes the focal point to understand gender power relations among the Asmat, particularly through social, economic, and spiritual dimensions. This volume is based on an anthropological fieldwork among the Asmat people for many years, and investigates the cultural significances of Asmat's ci by using 'symbolic and interpretive anthropology' as theoretical framework.

About the author

Onesius Otenieli Daeli is an ordained Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Order of the Holy Cross (Ordo Sanctae Crucis), born in Nias, North Sumatera, Indonesia. He spent more than five years (2002 - 2008) among the Asmat people. He was participating in many aspects of the Asmat life, including rituals, traditional feasts, rural economy, and politics.He published a book of religion in Asmat in 2006 entitled Ketika Salib Diarak (Lifting up on the Cross) (Sangkris Press, Bandung-Indonesia). He wrote some articles, personal experiences, and short stories about Asmat and its culture. In January 2012 to May 2012 conducted a fieldwork among di Asmat for the sake of his study in Cultural Anthropology. He graduated his Ph.D in Anthropology in the University of the Philippines - Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines (2013). He studied Philosophy and Theology in Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung, Indonesia. He lives in Bandung with some major responsibilities such as Lecturer in Parahyangan Catholic University (Unpar), Bandung, Indonesia; Head of Centre for Philosophy, Culture, and Religious Studies (CPCReS) of the Faculty of Philosophy of Unpar; Former Rector of Scholastics Program of The Order of the Holy Cross (OSC), Sang Kristus Province, Indonesia; and Chaplin of the Catholic University Students Church of the Diocese of Bandung, Indonesia.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Ci, Gender and Social Change Among the Asmat of Papua, Indonesia
• Author: Onesius Otenieli Daeli
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Sidestone Press, 2020
• ISBN: 908890930X, 9789088909306
• Length: 165 pages
• Subjects: History / Australia & New Zealand; Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social; Social Science / Sociology / General