2001.266.McD Priest's staff (tunggal panaluan) | DMA Staging Content Management System

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This intricately carved magic staff depicts nine human figures, seven above the haft, or handle, and two beneath it. The figure at the top wearing the large feather headdress is the mythical hero Si Adji Donda Hatahutan. He rides the underworld dragon naga padoha, who appears in the form of a snake. According to Toba Batak religious belief, the indigenous underworld dragon and the snake goddess, taken from Hinduism, are combined to form a mythical creature called a singa. Below the hero is his twin sister Si Tapi Na Uasan, who also stands on a singa. The other figures represent priest-magicians, or datu, and the round lead inlays in their chests cover holes in which magical potions were inserted. A chicken, dogs, and a snake can be seen on the staff as well. The surface of the staff is brightly polished, the result of long-standing use and the frequent rubbing of food and beverage sacrifices.

Three-dimensional human representations depict figures of both sexes in standing, squatting, or kneeling postures, as well as male equestrian figures. Standing sculptures in human form represent spirit beings or ancestors. They are frequently described as “ancestor figures,” although only in the rarest cases do they depict specific forebears known by name. Representations of the founding ancestor couple (debata idup), which were kept in the oldest residential building, known as the house of the founding family of a clan (marga), were regarded as a temporary physical residence for the ancestors during rituals. In contrast, protective spirits (pangulubalang) are permanently connected to the figures representing them thanks to certain magic ingredients, known as pupuk. A pangulubalang is a permanently animated sculpture and not just a casing for a temporarily present spirit.

Among the Batak, two stylistic features are characteristic of sculptural representations of the human form. The first is the oversized representation of the head, mentioned above. In accordance with Batak ideas of proportion, the head, trunk, and legs of a standing figure were almost always equal in length. An explanation for these proportions, which appear unusual from the Western viewpoint, relates to the old religious beliefs pertaining to the soul or life force (tondi), which was understood to be especially present in the brain, blood, and liver—but not in the legs. Moreover, a datu applied the magically effective ingredients for the “vivification” of the sculpture precisely to these regions of the body.

The second stylistic feature is a closed-leg posture with slightly bent knees. This posture is widespread in the traditional arts of Southeast Asia and Oceania. In the Batak version of the motif, the legs are pressed closely together. Only rarely is the shape of the feet naturalistic in appearance; the legs often end in a closed block. In many cases, the lower bodies and legs of the figures were dressed with a hip cloth, which made a detailed fashioning of the legs and feet unnecessary from a practical point of view.

This sculpture's surface also has a noticeable patina. During his ritualistic practices, a datu would rub a sacrifice of food and beverages (rice, meat, vegetal matter, or blood) onto the surface of his staff. This regular application and rubbing by hand, over the course of many years, resulted in a lustrous patina, which has been described by some as a “blood patina.” Other objects that were kept in the house over open fireplaces have a patina that is crusty and smells of smoke. This patina is usually covered with fat and the tarnish of house dust—provided that it was not polished by later Western owners.

Adapted from

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, 2013.
"A Superb Toba Batak "Tonkat Panaluan" or Shaman's Staff" in the Collections Records object file (2001.266.McD).
Achim Sibeth, "The Art of the Batak of Sumatra," in Eyes of the Ancestors: The Arts of Island Southeast Asia at the Dallas Museum of Art, ed. Reimar Schefold in collaboration with Steven Alpert (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2013), 61-65.

NOTES

Catalogue essays

Priest's staff (tunggal panaluan)

Batak Art and the West

The Art of the Batak of Sumatra

McDermott Art Fund

The Batak of Sumatra

Indonesia

Island Southeast Asia

Datu

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography

Sumatra (island/Indonesia): TGN: 7016484

North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara province): TGN: 1001555

Indonesia (nation): TGN: 1000116

Process/materials

lead (metal): AAT: 300011022

brass (alloy): AAT: 300010946

feather (material): AAT: 300011809

staffs (staff weapon components): AAT: 300204653

wire: AAT: 300011063

wood (plant material): AAT: 300011914

yarn (textile material): AAT: 300014252

Historical periods

nineteenth century (dates CE): AAT: 300404513

Individuals

Subject terms

animals (Animalia kingdom): AAT: 300249395

goddess: AAT: 300343852

hafts (handles): AAT: 300024926

heroes: AAT: 300236801

horn (animal material): AAT: 300011826

magic: AAT: 300054590

mythical or legendary beings: AAT: 300375725

priests: AAT: 300025774

sacrifices: AAT: 300263243

serpents (snakes/Serpentes suborder): AAT: 300250870

siblings: AAT: 300187624

twins: AAT: 300263240

RELATED OBJECTS

PROVENANCE

n.d.: Private Collection, Holland

1956: Boris Kegel-Konietzko, traded from above

n.d.: Private Collection, Hamburg, Germany, purchased from above

n.d.: Dr. Jochen Krueger, Hamburg

n.d.: Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas

From 2001: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., purchased from above [1]

Notes:

The main source for this provenance is the Acquisition Proposal in the Collections Record object file.

[1] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museums. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art~Learn more about tunggal panaluan (magic staffs) and their mythic origin.

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apply to objects where number equals 2001.266.McD

General Description

This intricately carved magic staff depicts nine human figures, seven above the haft, or handle, and two beneath it. The figure at the top wearing the large feather headdress is the mythical hero Si Adji Donda Hatahutan. He rides the underworld dragon naga padoha, who appears in the form of a snake. According to Toba Batak religious belief, the indigenous underworld dragon and the snake goddess, taken from Hinduism, are combined to form a mythical creature called a singa. Below the hero is his twin sister Si Tapi Na Uasan, who also stands on a singa. The other figures represent priest-magicians, or datu, and the round lead inlays in their chests cover holes in which magical potions were inserted. A chicken, dogs, and a snake can be seen on the staff as well. The surface of the staff is brightly polished, the result of long-standing use and the frequent rubbing of food and beverage sacrifices.

Three-dimensional human representations depict figures of both sexes in standing, squatting, or kneeling postures, as well as male equestrian figures. Standing sculptures in human form represent spirit beings or ancestors. They are frequently described as “ancestor figures,” although only in the rarest cases do they depict specific forebears known by name. Representations of the founding ancestor couple (debata idup), which were kept in the oldest residential building, known as the house of the founding family of a clan (marga), were regarded as a temporary physical residence for the ancestors during rituals. In contrast, protective spirits (pangulubalang) are permanently connected to the figures representing them thanks to certain magic ingredients, known as pupuk. A pangulubalang is a permanently animated sculpture and not just a casing for a temporarily present spirit.

Among the Batak, two stylistic features are characteristic of sculptural representations of the human form. The first is the oversized representation of the head, mentioned above. In accordance with Batak ideas of proportion, the head, trunk, and legs of a standing figure were almost always equal in length. An explanation for these proportions, which appear unusual from the Western viewpoint, relates to the old religious beliefs pertaining to the soul or life force (tondi), which was understood to be especially present in the brain, blood, and liver—but not in the legs. Moreover, a datu applied the magically effective ingredients for the “vivification” of the sculpture precisely to these regions of the body.

The second stylistic feature is a closed-leg posture with slightly bent knees. This posture is widespread in the traditional arts of Southeast Asia and Oceania. In the Batak version of the motif, the legs are pressed closely together. Only rarely is the shape of the feet naturalistic in appearance; the legs often end in a closed block. In many cases, the lower bodies and legs of the figures were dressed with a hip cloth, which made a detailed fashioning of the legs and feet unnecessary from a practical point of view.

This sculpture's surface also has a noticeable patina. During his ritualistic practices, a datu would rub a sacrifice of food and beverages (rice, meat, vegetal matter, or blood) onto the surface of his staff. This regular application and rubbing by hand, over the course of many years, resulted in a lustrous patina, which has been described by some as a “blood patina.” Other objects that were kept in the house over open fireplaces have a patina that is crusty and smells of smoke. This patina is usually covered with fat and the tarnish of house dust—provided that it was not polished by later Western owners.