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Batak Medicine Carrier

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Batak Medicine Carrier
All knowing, in magic, medicine, and religion, the Datu (priest) of a Batak Village is the most influential of a community. These potion carriers are part of the Datu's (and other healers) traditional paraphernalia. Some potion carriers are also used in protective roles for households. Medicinal herbs and potions with special powers are stored in these containers.The center piece is made of bone (Water Buffalo or Mountain Goat) and fitted with wood carvings on both ends. The horn is hand inscribed and this potion carrier features a lizard depicting the guardian god "Boraspati" along the upper ridge. The ends are sealed with two large wooden stoppers caved from Seawood, a holy wood of the Batak people. The ornate stoppers feature the traditional squatting figure astride the back of "Singa", a mythical lion. This piece, 11.5" long by 9" high and approx. 2.5" wide, is a transitional carving featuring aspects of both the old and new generation carvers. (excellant condition) The Batak homeland is the island of Sumatra at the western end of the modern Republic of Indonesia. It's the fifth largest island in the world and many other tribes live there. Batak peoples live in the remote areas of the mountainous highlands and the eastern and western coastal regions. One thousand meters above sea level, the highlands steep valleys and thick forests made the Batak region inaccessible and impenetrable during the period of scientific, missionary and colonial development. Long known to Europe, the Batak have only relatively recently come to the attention of the West. The Batak consist of six ethenic groups, diverse in dialect and historical experience. Although Islam and Christianity have been strong influences, many of the Batak population still follow religious ideas and practices of their ancestors. The Batak are one of the few cannibalistic peoples know to have a sophistacated calendar, written language, and with their gold trade, also a system of numbers. The carvers of the Batak peoples are considered some of the best primitive carvers in the world. The quality of their workmanship and the beauty of their peices bear witness to the talent of the people that produce them.