Funeral figurine in the shape of a monkey · Vietnam, Jarai (Jorai / Gia Rai) · ID: 3052539
Franco Rimoldi, Darmstadt, Germany
Description
iron wood, base
The Jarai are an ethnic minority living in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and northeastern Cambodia. Most of their figurative sculptures are closely tied to ancestor veneration and funerary rites.
This figure was likely part of a group of sculptures arranged around a Jarai burial site. Traditional Jarai graves consist of small, hut-like structures that house the belongings of the deceased along with ritual offerings. Sculptures such as this one adorned the grave on tall posts and served as spiritual guardians. They are typically marked by heavy weathering and erosion caused by wind and rain.
Comparing literature
Phan Cam Thuong, Nguyen Tan Cu, The sculpture of funeral houses in Tay Nguyen, Hanoi 1995, p. 54 ff. Goy, Bertrand, Jarai, Les Indes Savantes, 2006