dayakkenyah:
Reading The Batak Primitive Sculpture For Hidden Philosophy Text: Primitive Sculpture as Synoptic Theory
Primitive sculpture as a work of art or artifact of the past is a text which can guide modern man to explore the ancient human wisdom in order to learn the today’s culture and as future projection. The sculpture is like a complicated texts that need to be read and translated, and philosophy is the only formula to reveal the intelligence and vision of Batak people.
The philosophy value of Batak primitive sculpture is local wisdom that must be implemented in the life of Batak society. In the” spirit” of inanimate objects, we understand the secrets of nature. Batak primitive sculpture as an artifact is an encyclopedia about the existence of Batak society.
The presence of a sculpture in a sacred place or zone is recognized as a marker of the presence of a transcendent power or strength. Sculpture as a material is believed that it have an energy which can control or monitor the lives of the people who maintain it – spying on all their activities – so sometimes people are even more afraid of the sculpture than the man. The sculpture is considered to have eyes that can through the space, and therefore it is greatly feared. So it is placed at any vital place of the village, as in the village border, the village gate, at homban (springs), in the fields. It is believed that wherever one goes, he will always be beheld by the energy in the sculpture. Even rude talks and immoral acts in a hidden place are believed that can be heard or seen by the spirits in the sculpture.
There is belief that the sculpture which was hung on a tree or placed on the ground have eyes that can see and report anyone who tries to steal or destroy the fields. A powerful Pangulubalang sculpture which is placed in the fields or under jabi-jabi tree actually do not have any strength, but its presence is considered to be capable of maintaining the security of the village, guarding the fields from thieves and pests. Its secret power is actually just myth that contained in the sculptures which got into awareness and an understanding of truth through generations in the religion of indigenous people.
Sombaon sculpture is placed on top of a hill, mountain, tombak (forest) or homban (springs) as environmental control guardian. Batak ancestors have been so wise to maintain the environmental balance, cutting trees down in the forest carefully, performing Mangelek Pangisini Tombak ritual for asking permission from spirits who inhabit the forest, and always keeping water flow and its clarity wisely. They have understood the so-called selective logging and the impact of environmental pollution before modern people who claim to be more civilized than their ancestors.
Truth of energy and power in the sculpture is translated into the conception of myth and religion that grow in ancient Batak society. Batak primitive sculpture is the actual presentation of feelings and the formidable forces of nature experiences that were expressed in the form of symbols. Thus the sculpture is a text or language in expressing their thoughts. The mysterious and mystical nature is understood through religion and art in the form of symbols or immanent by the transcendent expression.
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(Source | Photo Source)
