The legend of Fumeripits describes a lone being brought to life in an archaic forest. Fumeripits built and lived in a giant feast-house. Having grown tired of his singular existence, Fumeripits felled several trees and from them he carved shapes in the form of men and women. He so enjoyed the companionship brought by these carvings that he carved a drum from the trees also. He covered the drum with the skin of a lizard and began to rhythmically beat upon it. To the beating of the drum, the wooden figures came to life and began to dance as the Asmat do today. These figures, now given life by Fumeripits' drumbeat, became the forebears of the Asmat.
The men of Asmat carve drums much the same as the one which Fumeripits is believed to have beat upon in the forest many years ago. A drum is made over a period of months by hollowing out a log, probably at or near the rivers edge, then burning its interior into the distinctive hourglass shape with embers from the fire which smolders day and night within the jeu. A lizard skin is sized cut and sealed to the top of the drum with a mixture of the drum owner's blood, the blood of one or more of his wives and lime retrieved from grinding the burned shells of a mollusk which inhabits the muddy river bed. Rattan is used to permanently secure the skin to the drum and heat from the fire and added beads of beeswax are applied to the skin in order to tune the drum.
Drums are highly prized by the Asmat and may be kept for extensive periods of time as a certain drum will inevitably become an owner's favorite. Drums may be played often, perhaps every day, but certainly on occasions such as feasts, celebrations, and meetings. At these times, the legend of Fumeripits may be reenacted with men slowly rising to the drum beat from a position with elbows and knees touching to sway and shuffle as their ancestors once did when wooden limbs evolved to flesh and bone. Drums are always beat by the Asmat in the same slow monotonous rhythm as described in the legend of Fumeripits.