Medicine Horn (Naga Marsarang)
ClassificationsContainers
Culture
Batak
Dateearly 20th Century
Made AtNorth Sumatra Province, Indonesia, Asia
MediumBuffalo horn, wood, brass, and plant fiber
Dimensions11 7/8 × 23 1/2 × 2 3/4 in., 41.6 oz. (30.2 × 59.7 × 7 cm, 1.179 kg.)
In Mount: 14 7/8 × 22 1/8 × 4 in. (37.8 × 56.2 × 10.2 cm)
In Mount: 14 7/8 × 22 1/8 × 4 in. (37.8 × 56.2 × 10.2 cm)
Credit LineBowers Museum Purchase provided by Don and Barbara Greek
Object number2004.67.1
DescriptionA medicine horn such as would have belonged to a religious specialist who was able to communicate with the gods, conduct ceremonies, practice benevolent and malevolent magic, and provide assistance and advice in matters concerning daily life. The medicine horn functioned as a container for a sometimes-deadly magical substance that was prepared, used, and handled only by Batak religious specialists. The horn depicts several humans sitting atop a singa, a mythological animal considered to have protective qualities.On View
Not on viewCollections
1754-1763
19th Century
19th Century
