This is a brass chain necklace with a stylized pendant featuring the ‘singa’, a mythical creature believed by the Batak people to have supernatural powers. The singa pendant was worn to ward off evil as it was believed to have protective powers. Jewellery has many different functions in island Southeast Asia, for example it was used to indicate social positions, to symbolise the importance of the social relationship between the giver and the receiver during gift exchanges, and to serve as miniature religious objects.
