![COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Toverhoorn met vijf voorouder figuren op een singa TMnr A-3932](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Toverhoorn_met_vijf_voorouder_figuren_op_een_singa_TMnr_A-3932.jpg)
The naga morsarang, also known as sahan, is a container which is used to store medicine in the culture of
Toba Batak people
Toba people (Surat Batak: ᯅᯖᯂ᯲ ᯖᯬᯅ) also referred to as Batak Toba people are the largest group of the Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The common phrase of ‘Batak’ usually refers to the Batak Toba people. This mista ...
of
North Sumatra
North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. The naga morsarang is created out of the horn of the
water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...
.
Description
Naga morsarang is one of several types of container in which the ''datu'' (Batak people's ritual specialist) kept a supernaturally powerful potion. The naga morsarang is made of horn of a
water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...
. A large naga morsarang vessel measures long and wide. As a container of a powerful potion, the naga morsarang is extensively decorated with complex patterns. The outer surface is incised thoroughly with complex designs. The pointed end of the horn is carved into the shape of a seated figure of a man, or sometimes more. The opening of the horn is plugged with a wooden stopper. This wooden stopper is always shaped into a figure of the
singa, a
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
-like underground figures. Many additional figures are sometimes carved as mounting the singa e.g. the lizard
Boraspati ni Tano
Boraspati ni Tano or Boraspati, also known as Ilik, is the earth deity in Batak mythology. Boraspati ni Tano is represented as a tokay gecko. Images of Boraspati (or Beraspati in Karo culture) can be found decorating the door of a Batak Karo and B ...
, a human figure, or several human figures. These human figures may represent the ''datu'', owner of the naga morsarang, and the former ''datu''s, former owners of the naga morsarang. Others think that these figures represent characters from Batak mythology.
A figure of a lizard, which represents the earth deity
Boraspati ni Tano
Boraspati ni Tano or Boraspati, also known as Ilik, is the earth deity in Batak mythology. Boraspati ni Tano is represented as a tokay gecko. Images of Boraspati (or Beraspati in Karo culture) can be found decorating the door of a Batak Karo and B ...
, is sometimes carved inside the hollow of the horn.
Potions
Toba people
The Toba people, also known as the Qom people, are one of the largest indigenous groups in Argentina who historically inhabited the region known today as the Pampas of the Central Chaco. During the 16th century, the Qom inhabited a large part of ...
believed that the spirits of the dead were able to influence the fate of the living. To gain favor from the spirits, the Toba performed elaborate rituals or sacrifices with the help of the datu, a male ritual specialist who acted as intermediaries between the human and supernatural world. The datu created magic books known as the
pustaha
Pustaha ( Toba Batak: ᯇᯮᯘ᯲ᯖᯂ) is the magic book of the Toba Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The book contains magical formulas, divinations, recipes, and laws. The pustaha is written and compiled by a Batak magician-priest (d ...
which was used by him and by his disciples as a reference for his magic rituals. Among the contents of the pustaha are methods to create different kind of potions used for both
white magic
White magic has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for selfless purposes. Practitioners of white magic have been given titles such as wise men or women, healers, white witches or wizards. Many of these people claim ...
and
black magic
Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...
in a kind of complex magic ritual. Naga morsarang are used as container for these potions.
One example of a white magic potion is the ''pagar'', a potion used as a kind of amulet to protect from evil. The creation of ''pagar'' is very difficult, and can only be done on certain auspicious days. Most of the ingredients of a ''pagar'' are derived from plants, although sometimes chicken head, its entrails, and its feathers are included in the mixture. The ingredients for a ''pagar'' can only be gathered on certain sacred sites known as the ''sombaon''. Creation of a pagar took days or weeks. All the ingredients are then cooked and finely crushed into a kind of paste which is then stored in the naga morsarang.
Similar vessel
The
Karo version of the vessel known as ''perminaken/parminaken'' or ''guri-guri''. Instead of strictly a bull's horn, the ''perminaken'' may use other types of material for the vessel e.g. a bamboo, a gourd, or even a Ming period jar imported from China. The ''perminaken'' similarly use a wooden stopper with carvings of a figure of the
singa, a person, or a person riding the singa.
See also
*
Tunggal panaluan
A tunggal panaluan is a magic staff used by shamans of the Batak people, who live in the highlands of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Traditionally the tunggal panaluan is made from wood of a specific tree and carved with human figures and embellished w ...
References
Cited works
*
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{{refend
NAGA MORSARANG 440mm CONTAINER Borneoartifact
Sumatra
Religion in Indonesia
Batak
Medicine storage containers