Title
Ancestor figure
Year/Period
19th century
Region
Toba Batak, North Sumatra
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Refer to parts
Accession No.
2013-00950
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of the Mandala Foundation
Paired figures representing an ancestral couple were known as debata idup - literally "living ancestors" The Batak would invite the ancestors to inhabit these figures during important rites and rituals. This pair of ancestor figures is unusual in that they are almost completely wrapped in strips of old cloth including locally woven and imported types.
