Batak Naga Morsarang Shaman’s Horn

Batak, Sumatra
19th–early 20th c
10 x 22 ¼ x 2 ½ in (25 x 56 x 6 cm)
Price on Request

A Batak shaman, Datu, would always have at least three crucial objects in order to carry out his magical enterprises: a staff, tunggal panaluhan; a horn; Naga Morsarang; and a book of spells, pustaha. Of these, a great shaman’s horn would prove the most imposing sculpturally. The example presented here is a case in point. Observed is the mythological animal, singha expressed in an archaic dragon form, naga. Note the ancestor riders on the singha’s tail. This naga (serpent) element served as the stopper-cover for a horn that was filled with puk puk, an organic substance that served as a magical medicine.