This is a necklace (‘layang-layang’) of silver and applied filigree from the Batak perople of north Sumatra. It comprises of a large crescent-shaped pendant, possibly representing the ancestral house, with spangles called ‘pilo-pilo’ that are supposed to bring good luck. The chain also has four smaller, but identical crescent-shaped pendant attached to the chain. This can also be a bridegroom’s necklace (‘bura laying-layang’). Also, as these ancestral house motifs symbolise the traditional clan house and its inhabitants, such as the ancestral dead and their living descendents, such necklaces were also employed by shamans to call back souls of the sick.
