First Woodcarver
Asmat · demigod · primordial · Recorded classification
Foregrounded Asmat culture-hero, entered as demigod per the brief. Carving descent from him obliges every wowipits (master-carver). vitalStatus 'deceased'/mythic-past. Orthography varies (Fumeripitsj); native-language exact terms beyond jew/wowipits not securely transcribed in accessible sources, so left blank rather than invented.
Domains
- woodcarving
- origin of humankind
Powers
- carves the first human beings out of wood
- beats a drum to bring his carved figures to life
Epithets
- Fumeripits The creator-hero who carved the first people from wood and drummed them into lifeAsmat origin tradition (G. Zegwaard) (secondary)
Sources
- Fumeripits is the Asmat culture-hero and first woodcarver, who built the first men's ceremonial house (jew), carved the first humans from wood, and brought them to life by beating the first drum; all Asmat master-carvers (wowipits) continue his work.: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, 'The Asmat' (secondary); Schneebaum, Tobias. Embodied Spirits: Ritual Carvings of the Asmat (Peabody Museum, 1990) (secondary)