| Item-Number: | 781003 |
| Item-Description: | Ducon or Batak priest’s stone charm or medicine pounder |
| Medium: | Volcanic Andesite |
| Origin: | North Sumatra - Batak Karo |
| Dimensions: | Height 17 cm |
| Age: | pre 1900 |
| Provenance: | Field collected from a Batak priest, Kabanjahe, Sumatra 1978 |
| Condition: | Weathered patina |
| Notes: |
An unusual small stone pounder in human form carved in local volcanic andesitic tuff and used by a Batak Karo priest in the preparation of magic substance or pupuk.
Unusual in being from the Batak Karo tribe, rather than from the Batak Toba who have a better known tradition of stone work. Pupuk or magic substance was produced by the Batak Karo high priest (Ducon) as a curative powder or to ward away evil spirits. The Batak have a strong belief in magic which continues through to the present day.
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