Mother and child • Bayun, 2013
Mother and child ⢠Bayun, 2013
Molestina Werem takes care of her child in the village of Bayun. Asmat women are responsible for taking care of the children, gathering food and firewood, and all the rest of the heavy work.
Ever since headhunting was disbanded by the Indonesian government, Asmat men, who traditionally function as war chiefs on headhunting raids, are left with little to do, putting immense pressure onto Asmat women. Domestic violence becomes commonplace. It is also common that the Asmat men engage in polygamy, incest, and unsolicited sexual promiscuity, causing further repression of the Asmat women.