Art of the Ancestors: A Glimpse at Indonesian Tribal Art

Few art forms come close to ‘primitive’ art in sheer expressiveness. This isn’t too surprising. In every tribal society, be it African, Eskimo, Oceanic or Indonesian, art is never simply for art’s sake, but is a direct and uncensored dialogue with the spirit world in which tribal peoples move and have their being. This spiritual “dialogue” shows up most powerfully in the faces of ancestors and spirits carved in wood and stone or appearing textiles, weaponry and ornaments. Because these beings are depended upon to frighten enemies, subdue maleficent spirits and bring fecundity and prosperity to the community, they have to be expressively potent. Their potency wasn’t lost on modern Western artists. In the early 20^th century, Picasso, Braque, Giacometti among others were so moved by the presence of the ‘tribal face’ that they incorporated elements of tribal expression into their own works, to transcend surface appearance and to enter the realm of the soul. By so doing, they changed the course of art history.

Today’s post – the first of three instalments – feature the expressive art works of the islands that comprise Indonesia, which boast an astonishing diversity of island cultures and art forms that reflect its ancient Austronesian roots.

Bronze axe blade with human motif, found on Roti island, Eastern Indonesia. Estimated date: first half of the first millennium AD. National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta.

Closeup view of the human figure depicted on the Roti axe blade.

This unique and ancient axe blade was discovered on the island of Roti in the Lesser Sunda Islands of eastern Indonesia. Dated to between 1 to 500 AD, it shows a human figure with a disproportionately large head, big circular eyes and outstretch arms. The face on this axe blade has striking resemblance to the face motifs of Lapita pottery found in Santa Cruz islands in Melanesia that date to an earlier period of between 1500 BC and 700 BC (see image below).

Face motifs from a Lapita pottery found in Santa Cruz islands, part of the Solomon islands chain in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Estimated date: 1500 – 700 BC.

Scientific studies show that the artistic motifs that frequently appear in ancient bronzes of the Lesser Sunda Islands can be traced to Austronesian influences. Early Austronesians migrated from Taiwan to island Southeast Asia (principally the Philippines and Indonesia) some 4,000 years ago, in what became the largest seaborne migration known to man.

The Bataks of Sumatra

Batak tribes on the island of Sumatra (the “isle of gold”)

Guardian figure, Batak people, Sumatra. Wood, metal, hide and horsehair. 19th century.

Shaman’s staff, Karo Batak. Wood. 19th century.

Nias and Enggano, Western Indonesia

The stately elegance of a male ancestor figure known as Adu Sihara Salawa, representing a high-ranking clan member. 19^th century.

Altar with ancestor figure, adu nuwu / adu zatua, Nias, Wood, 19th to early 20th Century
Ex collection: Prof. Dr. Herman Th. Verstappen, acquired by him in the south Nias village of Bawömataluo, May 1, 1955, 46 cm.

This ancestor figure is dressed in royal regalia of his high station. He holds a cup and stick in his hand, and is seated in a daro daro, an altar composed of two stylized dragons looking left and right. He has a warrior’s necklace, a schematic moustache and a single earring, all masculine references. This figure is carved by a refined hand, recognizable as the same hand as a companion piece collected by Paul Wirz before 1927, now in the Museum fur Kulturen in Basel and published in the Delft catalog, Nias Tribal Treasures, plate 102. Ancestor altars of this type adorned the interior of the community clan house. Description by the California-based art dealer, Thomas Murray.

An expressive head ornament from tiny Enggano island in the west coast of Sumatra. The frog-like figure at the top is partly covered with tin foil with its eyes and teeth inlaid with mother of peal. Its facial appearance has striking resemblance to Polynesian (in particular, Maori and Marquesan art). 19th century or earlier.

The Dayaks of Borneo

Map of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. Borneo comprises of the Eastern Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and Indonesian Kalimantan.

An ancient ancestral figure excavated from the Mahakam River in southeast Borneo. This riveting figure has an archaic heart-shape face, a facial rendering that has survived in Indonesia for millennia.

Below are four Dayak masks from south, west, central, and east Kalimantan respectively

Coffin panel with a splayed spirit guardian figure, Kayanic Dayak.

This snarling “monster” guardian figure that occupies one end of an ossuary looks as if it is about to leap out of the chest. Kayanic Dayak people, East Kalimantan. Hardwood. 18th century or earlier.

A Dayak shield with traditional painted front showing tree and monster faces, Kayanic Dayak, Central Borneo, early 20th century.

The Lesser Sunda Islands, Eastern Indonesia

Sumatra, Borneo and the island of Java make up the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia, where the smaller islands that are located east of Bali all the way to Maluku (the former spice islands) comprise the Lesser Sunda Islands as seen on this map.

Hairpin, Sumba island, Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Wood. 19th or early 20th century. H: 24 cm. This elegant hairpin is topped by a male figure with hands out, palms up as if in a posture of supplication. Early 20th century.

Tau tau effigy, Toraja peoples, Sulawesi. Wood. 19th century. The Toraja carve tau-tau, smaller than life-size funerary figures, to commemorate high-ranking deceased. Only members of the highest-ranking aristocracy are permitted to have permanent tau-tau.

The soulful expression of another tau tau figure.

Aitos figure depicting an ancestor, East Timor.

The Aitos is the most important of the ritual carvings found in Timor. “Aitos” means “distant ancestor” and describes a cylindrical offering post erected in the compound to honor the ancestors.