Male ancestor figure "adu zatua", around 1900

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Description

wood, reddish brown patina, traces of black paint, traditional posture with hands folded in front of the body, simple palm leaf crown, old collection label with faded inscription (unreadable) on the backside, slightly dam., cracks, rep. (breakage: right foot/base), base partly renewed.
The general word in Nias for sculpture is “adu”. The function, symbolism, and names of the “adu” are bewildering and knowledge of their specific use incomplete. What is known is that they served as mediators between the supernatural and natural world of humans, by which the islands inhabitants communicated with and influenced the ancestors, gods, and spirits for two main purposes: to secure prosperity and blessings and to protect against disease and disaster.

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Comparing literature

Sibeth, Achim & Bruce W. Carpenter, Nias Sculpture, Mandala Collection, 2013, p. 96 ff.

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