H4402.100

Ancestral Carving - dark stone, kneeling female, hands intertwined beneath bosom - Sumatra, Toba Bataks. "Stone ancestral carving, squatting position and interlocked hands typical of Batak ancestral carvings termed `pangulubalangan' (Ref: Hasibuan, Jamaludin S. p. 186). Some such ancestral figurines were embellished with a hole for insertion of `pupuk,' magical substances used by Batak sorcerers. These figures are no longer used by the Toba Batak, who have largely converted to Christianity. Today they are manufactured for the tourist and art collector market. Ear shape is typical of Batak carving." (Kathleen Adams, 1/95)

Used: made for sale | Ceremonial