Rare miniature figure ·  Indonesia - West Sumatra, Mentawai Islands · ID: 3048513

Description

wood, base

Extremely artistically executed figurine. Even though the human features predominate, the face shows animal-like features. It could be the representation of a “bilou” - gibbon, a motif often used in Mentawai art. “Bilou” features in many myths and its haunting calls are considered omens or preditions such as a death in the village.

The Mentawai archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean, about 150 kilometres off the west coast of Sumatra. Although Mentawai was incorporated into the Dutch colonial empire in 1854, the beliefs and social organisation of the inhabitants have hardly changed from the times of their ancestors to the present day.