Protective figure dressed in (Dutch Colonial) military uniform

This unusual ironwood 'hampatong' image is carved wearing a Dutch military style uniform complete with peaked cap, machete and pocketwatch. The figure has a small monkey drinking from a cup positioned on the back of its head. Hampatong were guardian figures carved to ward off dangerous spirits. Depicting a Dutch soldier would have likely been a means to symbolically appropriate the power of the Dutch and employ it in the protection of the community. Such symbolic appropriation is fairly common in Southeast Asia. Representations of foreign symbols were copied by indigenous artists to acquire their perceived energy and influence.

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