Wooden ancestor figure

Ancestor carvings like these were found in households throughout Nias. They served as reminders of the deceased, and as charms to protect the household. A new image was made when a person died, and this was lashed together with the rest on the right wall of a house. These carvings may be viewed as containers for ancestral spirits. The people of Nias believed that by trapping the last breath of a dying person, the soul could be contained and transferred to the carving.

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Ancestral figure

Ancestral figure

Ancestor figure

Wooden ancestor carving