Fumeripits was the first being to exist on earth according to Asmat tradition. He created the first ceremonial house and people but was lonely. To create people, Fumeripits carved figures from trees but they were inanimate. He then made a drum from a hollowed tree and stretched lizard skin over it. When he played the drum, the figures came to life, their limbs separated, and they began to dance - thus creating the first Asmat people from trees.

1. Contemporary Traditional Asmat Culture, Part 2 The Asmat Creation Story:Fumeripits creates People from trees By Alexandra Roybal Culture/Geography, Period 8 February 2, 2012 Caglayan, Ph. D Emily. “The Asmat” In Heilbrum Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 200-http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/asma/hd_asma.htm

2. According to Asmat tradition: "Fumeripits was the first being to exist on earth, and he also created the first men's ceremonial house called jeu."

3. Fumeripits would spend his days dancing along the beach, but after awhile grew tired of bieng alone.

4. So he chopped down a number of trees, carved them into human figures, and placed them inside the jeu.

5. However, since the sculptures were inanimate, Fumeripits was still unhappy. He then decided to create a drum, and chopped down another tree, hollowed out the center, and stretched a piece of lizard skin over the top.

6. As he began to play the drum, the human figures miraculously came to life, their elbows came unstuck from their knees, and they began to dance.

7. This is how Fumeripits made people from trees. And the first people were Asmat