Material: Wood
Style: Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 65 cm, Width 20 cm
Order Number: MHSANAF2

80-90 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago and their wooden ancestor figures have a distinctive style. Spirits of the dead possessed supernatural powers, which could influence the living in good or bad ways.

Ancestor images called adu zatua were made shortly after death. When the carving was finished, the deceased’s spirit was invited to dwell in the statue with ceremonies performed by a priest, who told the eldest son that his parent had returned to the house. The figure was collectively owned by all the descendants, but it was the duty of the son to make sure that all the ritual food offerings were given. The statues were usually tied to the right hand wall of the main room in the house and as people died new figures were added.

Females had a pair of earrings and males had one.

Most are nude with genitals, so that the gender is obvious, except for some in Central Nias, which are hermaphrodite and are usually standing. Those in North and South are more naturalistic, while those in Central Nias are angular. The aristocratic ones have tall crowns, pendant earrings, necklaces and bracelets. They were passed down from generation to generation.

They vary in size from 20 cm to 200 cm or higher and many were crammed into houses on the floor and on altars, hung from roof beams and placed on beams. Many were believed to hold the souls of the ancestors. Their purpose was to give fertility to humans and animals, provide protection and avert illness. The grander ones were for aristocratic families. They were given offerings and sacrifices, especially before headhunting or warrior raids.

Christian missionaries destroyed many ancestor figures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This statue is a nobleman wearing a crown – it’s a distinctive style from South Nias that he sits on a stool of honour and holds a libation bowl in both hands on his knees. His fine moustache and goatee denote respect – rare attributes in this ethnic group. Facial hair was prized as a symbol of masculinity. His arching eyebrows emphasise his almond eyes. He is nude apart from jewelry, a massive teardrop earring, necklace and bracelet.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Ancestor Figure 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood
Style: Central Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 80 cm, Width 15 cm
Order Number: MHSANAF3

80-90 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago and their wooden ancestor figures have a distinctive style.

Most are nude with genitals, so that the gender is obvious, except for some in Central Nias, which are hermaphrodite and are usually standing. Those in North and South are more naturalistic, while those in Central Nias are angular. The aristocratic ones have tall crowns, pendant earrings, necklaces and bracelets. They were passed down from generation to generation.

They vary in size from 20 cm to 200 cm or higher and many were crammed into houses on the floor and on altars, hung from roof beams and placed on beams. Many were believed to hold the souls of the ancestors. Their purpose was to give fertility to humans and animals, provide protection and avert illness. The grander ones were for aristocratic families. They were given offerings and sacrifices, especially before headhunting or warrior raids.

Christian missionaries destroyed many ancestor figures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The most distinctive god statues are called adu horo. They have forked headdresses and are armless with large erect penises. They were consulted when blood had to be shed, as in war, murder and hunting.

He is standing. His arching eyebrows emphasise his eyes. He has pursed lips, beard, pectorals, cone-like nipples and knobly knees. He is nude apart from jewelry, a massive earring on his right ear and a coconut shell necklace called a kalabubu worn by headhunters. Capturing a head was an essential requirement of manhood and showed the young man was an eligible bachelor.

There is a kalabubu in the Mandala Collection,  shown in Nias Sculpture, Achim Sibeth and Bruce Carpenter, Red and White Publishing, 2013 on page 254

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Ancestor Figure 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood
Style: South Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Left – male – Height 115 cm, Width 28 cm, Diameter 35 cm;  Right – female – Height 115 cm, Width 29 cm, Diameter 27 cm
Order Number: MHSANAF1

Click on the photo to see the ancestor figures.

40-50 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago and their wooden ancestor figures have a distinctive style. Spirits of the dead possessed supernatural powers, which could influence the living in good or bad ways.

Ancestor images called adu zatua were made shortly after death. When the carving was finished, the deceased’s spirit was invited to dwell in the statue with ceremonies performed by a priest, who told the eldest son that his parent had returned to the house. The figure was collectively owned by all the descendants, but it was the duty of the son to make sure that all the ritual food offerings were given. The statues were usually tied to the right hand wall of the main room in the house and as people died new figures were added.

Most are nude with genitals, so that the gender is obvious, except for some in Central Nias, which are hermaphrodite and are usually standing. Those in North and South are more naturalistic, while those in Central Nias are angular. The aristocratic ones have tall crowns, pendant earrings, necklaces and bracelets. They were passed down from generation to generation.

They vary in size from 20 cm to 200 cm or higher and many were crammed into houses on the floor and on altars, hung from roof beams and placed on beams. Many were believed to hold the souls of the ancestors. Their purpose was to give fertility to humans and animals, provide protection and avert illness. The grander ones were for aristocratic families. They were given offerings and sacrifices, especially before headhunting or warrior raids.

Christian missionaries destroyed many ancestor figures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This pair are from South Nias – it’s a distinctive style that they squat or sit on a stool of honour and hold a cup on their knees. The stool is not articulated in these pieces but merely suggested by a low post that supports the figure at the back.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Ancestor Figures appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood
Style: Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Size: Height 12 cm, Diameter 14 cm
Order Number: MHSBB8

70-80 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Box 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood
Style: Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Size: Height 15 cm, Diameter 10 cm
Order Number: MHSBB9

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago.

70-80 years.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Box 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Limestone
Style: Central Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 38 cm, Length 68 cm, Width 32 cm
Order Number: MHSANLOO2

80-90 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago and their stonecarvings have a distinctive style.

The villages were orderly and densely populated and surrounded by stone walls. Wide, steep stairs lead to avenues with large wooden houses and tables, chairs, monuments, sculptures,  watercourses, public baths and wells.

A Stone Age cave shelter, the Togi Ndrawa cave, used for 3000 years was discovered by French archeologist Hubert Forestier in 2005 in Northwest Nias dating to 2500 – 1500 AD, containing human bones and Neolithic tools.

The missionaries of the late 19th and early 20th century spared stonecarvings from destruction, unlike woodcarvings, as offerings were not made to them.

Nias had a highly stratified society and a continual series of elaborate feasts when megaliths were erected, live human sacrifices were staged and offerings of heads.

North and Central Nias produced most of the free-standing stone statues. Central Nias provided the oldest and most mysterious figures. It was a patriarchal society and most statues are male.

Ritual seats called osa-osa were found only in Central Nias. Elders sat on them during ceremonies. They can be round or rectangular and in the form of real or mythological animals.

Hornbills, with their curved heads and beaks, and stags are both associated with ancestors. Nias is the home of the Giant Hornbill. They were worshipped as magical creatures.

Small ones were placed on large ancestral pillars called behu during ceremonies to honour the founding ancestors of the village.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Hornbill Osa-Osa appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Limestone
Style: Central Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 36 cm, Length 62 cm, Width 34 cm
Order Number: MHSANLOO1

80-90 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago and their stonecarvings have a distinctive style.

The villages were orderly and densely populated and surrounded by stone walls. Wide, steep stairs lead to avenues with large wooden houses and tables, chairs, monuments, sculptures,  watercourses, public baths and wells.

A Stone Age cave shelter, the Togi Ndrawa cave, used for 3000 years was discovered by French archeologist Hubert Forestier in 2005 in Northwest Nias dating to 2500 – 1500 AD, containing human bones and Neolithic tools.

The missionaries of the late 19th and early 20th century spared stonecarvings from destruction, unlike woodcarvings, as offerings were not made to them.

Nias had a highly stratified society and a continual series of elaborate feasts when megaliths were erected, live human sacrifices were staged and offerings of heads.

North and Central Nias produced most of the free-standing stone statues. Central Nias provided the oldest and most mysterious figures. It was a patriarchal society and most statues are male.

Ritual seats called osa-osa were found only in Central Nias. Elders sat on them during ceremonies. They can be round or rectangular and in the form of real or mythological animals.

This one is called osa osa si sara mbagi, meaning a seat with only one head. It is carved in the form of a lasara –  a creature with a dragon-like head and bird-like tail. It is related to the mythic naga serpent and associated with the underworld, fertility and water. They have a protective function and enhance the power of the nobility on Nias.

Osa-osa are extremely well carved and are used by noble men and women or are made for an ancestor. They are only used once during a ceremony for their consecration. They are seats of honour for the nobility during festivals raised to a higher position and are classified according to the number of heads. One headed pieces are to commemorate men who have given a feast. Three headed ones are usually for clan elders. The seats form part of large megalithic plazas that are ritual centres in Central Nias villages.

There are also hornbills and stags, both associated with ancestors.

Small ones were placed on large ancestral pillars called behu during ceremonies to honour the founding ancestors of the village.

There is a similar one in The Asian Civilisations Museum Guide, 2003, page 236.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Lasara Osa-Osa appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Limestone
Style: Central Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 49 cm, Length 36 cm, Width 13 cm
Order Number: MHSANLOO3

80-90 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago and their stonecarvings have a distinctive style.

The villages were orderly and densely populated and surrounded by stone walls. Wide, steep stairs lead to avenues with large wooden houses and tables, chairs, monuments, sculptures,  watercourses, public baths and wells.

A Stone Age cave shelter, the Togi Ndrawa cave, used for 3000 years was discovered by French archeologist Hubert Forestier in 2005 in Northwest Nias dating to 2500 – 1500 AD, containing human bones and Neolithic tools.

The missionaries of the late 19th and early 20th century spared stonecarvings from destruction, unlike woodcarvings, as offerings were not made to them.

Nias had a highly stratified society and a continual series of elaborate feasts when megaliths were erected, live human sacrifices were staged and offerings of heads.

North and Central Nias produced most of the free-standing stone statues. Central Nias provided the oldest and most mysterious figures. It was a patriarchal society and most statues are male.

This statue is rather rare. It may be a Dutchman on a horse.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Man on a Horse appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bronze
Style: Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Length 12 cm, Width 7 cm
Order Number: MHSANOL1

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago.

19th century or earlier.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

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