This stone seat comes from central Nias, off Western Sumatra. The ‘osa osa’ was a seat of high honour for a nobleman, noblewoman or ancestor during the great feasts and festivals that were celebrated by the people of Nias. It is carved in the form of a ‘lasara’ – a mythical creature with the head of a dragon and a tail of a bird. It would have been placed outside near the feasting ground. This lasara wears elaborate jewellery including a necklace and heavy earplugs, both important indicators of nobility. Nias was a rigid class-based society, and this manifested itself very clearly in the material culture of its people. The osa osa was a visible symbol of the elevated status of the Nias nobility as compared with the rest of the population.
