Decolonizing "Primitive" Collections: Representations and Perceptions of Asmat Art in Western Institutions

Abstract

Throughout the era of colonization in Oceania and Southeast Asia, collectors have often neglected to use ethical practices when acquiring objects or artwork, much of which was deeply important to spirituality or culture. Many of these artworks ended up in museums, which are also inherently colonial institutions. It has only been in recent years that institutions have actively been working to decolonize and ethically research their collections. Though much work has been done on collections from certain locations, this level of research has not been popularized for art pieces from Papua, specifically the Asmat region. This lack of research and information about collections affects the level of education museums can provide to the general public. I argue that the way museums present the data and information about Papuan art, specifically Asmat, and display its objects affects the way museum visitors perceive culture. To achieve my goals, I will draw on documents, journal entries, Papuan and Indigenous studies scholarship, and my personal experiences as someone who has worked with museum collections.In this thesis, I will discuss how the colonial history of Papua has affected Papuan art collections, and how museums are changing in their processes to actively decolonize these collections. I address how the Dutch and Indonesian colonial presence changed the Papuan landscape and collection practices done by early colonials who traveled to this region. After this, I showcase how collection practices and then displays of Asmat art impact the way art, and thus culture, can be perceived in the West. I then conclude this research with my final chapter by discussing what collaboration can look like with Asmat communities and Western museums. Through my work, I aim to educate about the harm of colonial legacies left on Papuan people and artworks, providing frameworks on how to dismantle such structures in the museum space.