Male ancestor figure "adu zatua" · Indonesia - North Nias · ID: 3041360
sold
EUR 2,200
Provenance
Friedrich Kramer, Oerlinghausen/Gütersloh, Germany, coll. in situ, 1875Friedrich Kramer (1844-1920) came to Nias in 1873 on behalf of the Rheinische Missionsgesellschaft where he took charge of the missionary station Gunung Sitoli. He studied life, religion and ancestor worship on Nias and in 1890 he published the article “Der Götzendienst der Niasser” in the “Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde”. Since 1902 he was chairman of the missionary station on Nias.
Size
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, matt brown patina, carved with high towering crown, long ear ornament and necklace, remains of black painting (beard, eyes), headband and sash from original cloth, slightly dam. (nose, beard), crack, abrasion of paint;
“Adu zatua” figures were lashed with rattan strings to horizontal bars. Such rows were placed against the wall in the big front room of the house. Each time a person in the family died, a new image was added. Much has been speculated about the transfer of the soul of the deceased to the “adu zatua”. Acccording to old missionaries reports the last breath of a dying person was captured in a bamboo tube and transferred to an “adu zatua” image.