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Batak Calender

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Batak Calender
From the Batak people of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia come calenders rich in ancient lore. The Batak are one of the few cannibalistic peoples known to have a written language. During the 12th and 13th centuries traders arriving from the Asia subcontinent converted the Batak to Islam. Rather than abondoning their belief systems, they were integrated into their new faith. This bone and bamboo calendar is one manifestation of this phenomenon. Overall size is approx. 11"H X 5.5"w. The Year of the Bataks is like ours, also divided into twelve lunar months, each consisting of thirty days. The twelve bamboo sticks correspond to the months and each stick is hand inscribed with thirty segments representing thirty days. This grill serves as support for among other things a number of particular signs and tokens for persons using it. The bonepiece at the top is decorated with a scorpion.