The Singa Lion Serpant! Singha Tua - The Batak People Of Sumatera 🇮🇩 [onARTBali/Indonesia Project]

It's been a while that I didn't continue writing, introducing more about a project, still close to my heart, filled with passion for a culture and history I highly admire.

You can find incredible art & artists in Indonesia but not many quality documentations are found, as I discovered in my research.

Image Source from my website

This sculptures depicts a great village chief, possibly also a village priest, riding a singa lion-serpent, a mighty underworld creature, on his journey to the afterlife.

Yesterday's article flamed my motivation again. [Live A Life You Are Proud Of! [onArtBali Reflections]

I started @onartbali a few years back, when I lived in Indonesia from 1999-2016. I am planning to go back but don't know yet when this will be possible.

http://www.onartbali.com

The first time, I saw Pak Wayan's collection of over 6000 breathtaking artefacts was nearly 16 years ago when my Balinese partner Made Bagus took me to his families's galleries.

I couldn't believe what I found. I started collecting some for my house in Bali.

My "Mammasitta" Terracotta statue is my pride!

Many years later the idea was born to create a table book. I didn't get that far yet because I ran out of funds. Many times I went back to the galleries just to look but finally I chose aprox. 50 pieces, hired two very skilled photographers and a team to create our first little booklet you can download HERE.

Artisans of beautiful Indonesia! " Indonesia indah!

Now I am back on @steemit to share those artefacts one by one and collect #steem to be able to finish this idea to present and publish a hopefully interesting book. I was planning to donate a percentage of the income to young Indonesian artists and to Pak Wayan's family.

For now its just a dream but Hey!....Its all about the right time. I will make this happen one day that all of you can have a beautiful book on your coffee tables.

The first piece comes from BATAK, LAKE TOBA , Inland Barus, Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

I will copy/paste this text from my a little amateur-ish website which I created myself due to lack of money to pay for a high quality version.

Image Source

The Batak region is in Northern Sumatra, Lake Toba area, consist of six ethnic groups, with their own languages; Karo, Pakpak, Toba, Angkola, Mandailing, and Simalungung.
Batak meaning “pig eater" and originally was given by the Muslims, the Batak people adopted theis name as an honorary title. The whole Batak community considers “Samosir” the Island in Lake Toba, to be their Ancestral home land. They believe a balance exists between the living world, and the spiritual world of the dead, this is essential to their way of life, and if disrupted, death and destruction results.

Karo Batak

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Harmony between man and the Ancestor is necessary for the well being, and the Ancestor must have living descendants to continue to feed them, worship them, and eventually elevate them to the status of natures spirit; known as Sombaon. In turn, the living must have ancestor to guide them and protect them. The Ancestors depend on sacrificial offerings and if they are not provided for, by man, they can become ridiculed by other Ancestors, and as the Ancestors depend on man, they are very wary of innovation that would threaten their customs, rituals and sacrifices.

Batak Warriors

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The Batak people accept life based on reciprocity and they know that the Ancestors have the ability to devastate man who does not follow customary traditional laws. They create superb stone effigies [mejan] to venerate the noble dead, and assist the transformation of their souls into benevolent ancestor spirits. Male and female sculptures are placed side by side beneath the village banyan tree, where offerings are made to spirits of nature. The Pakpak Batak developed a tradition of cremation hundreds of years ago and the ancestors’ remains are placed in urns alongside their effigies.

Yours @mammasitta and @massivevibration for more music related articles and re-steems. Would be great to see you there as well sometimes as well.

Download Link: https://issuu.com/onartbali/docs/fa_onart_bali_catalogue