Zemanek-Münster

Ritual stone seat "osa' osa"

Indonesia - Nias
not available anymore
Provenance
Jean Paul Deslypere, Belsele, Belgium
Size
H: 46,5 cm
B: 35 cm
L: 62,5 cm
H: 18.3 inch
B: 13.8 inch
L: 24.6 inch

Description

lime stone,

Ritual stone seats “osa’ osa” are unique to the central region of Nias island. They serve as chairs for high-ranking nobles at feasts and other ceremonial occasions, where they are set up near the home of the feast giver as a sign of his or her exalted rank. They represent real and mythological animals. This seat is in the shape of a “lasara” - dragon, others represent hornbills and deer, two indigenous animals that are associated with the ancestors throughout Indonesia.


Comparing literature

Sibeth, Achim & Bruce W. Carpenter, Nias Sculpture, Mandala Collection, 2013, p. 66/67, i.05

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