Ancestor Figure with Hair | Yale University Art Gallery

The Batak of northern Sumatra comprise six groups: the Toba, Mandaling, Angkola, Pakpak/Dairi, Simalingun, and Karo. All share a common origin myth and ancestor (Si Raja Batak), have similar kinship and marriage customs, employ a common language and script, and emphasize certain ritual practices. Until the mid-twentieth century, political power was in the hands of chiefs and the council of elders, while spiritual power resided with the priest (datu), who had great influence on Batak life.

Medium: Wood and hair
Dimensions: 44 1/2 × 4 5/16 × 4 3/4 in. (113 × 11 × 12 cm)
Credit Line: Promised gift of Thomas Jaffe, B.A. 1971
Loan number: ILE2012.30.173
Geography: Made in Sumatra, Indonesia
Culture: Batak
Classification: Sculpture
Disclaimer: Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Object copyright

Additional information

Object/Work type

effigies, figures (representations)

Subject

ancestor worship ancestors

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF: Open in Mirador

View IIIF manifest

The International Image Interoperability Framework, or IIIF, is an open standard for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. Visit iiif.io to learn more
Linked Art: API response for this object

Linked Art is a Community working together to create a shared Model based on Linked Open Data to describe Art.