Early 20th C. Sulawesi Wood Ancestral Tau Tau - Female

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Ancient / Ethnographic From Around the World

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 20, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-06-20 10:00:00 2019-06-20 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient / Ethnographic From Around the World https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-from-around-the-world-4217
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• Lot Description
  Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Sulawesi Island, Toraja people, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A haunting, near-lifesize wooden ancestral figure - known as a tau tau (sometimes tao tao) - with articulated arms and legs as well as a head that can be removed and/or turned. This example is female, with carved breasts. Otherwise, she has a simple torso and limbs. Her inlaid shell eyes seem to stare directly at the viewer. She wears a bronze bangle on each arm and bronze earrings. She is stylized because when she was made, she would have been dressed in clothing and even given hair. Size: 17.5" L x 12.75" W x 63" H (44.4 cm x 32.4 cm x 160 cm); 63.5" H (161.3 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The Toraja people live in the mountains of southern Sulawesi island, which is densely rainforested. Today most are Christian as the result of missionaries, but their traditional religion - known as "aluk to dolo", the "law of the ancestors", is still practiced with regard to funerary rituals. This includes the creation of tau tau. Traditional Toraja beliefs hold that when you die, you will remain an active member of the family, expected to bring good or bad luck, depending on how respected you are. As a result, the most important ceremony in a person's life is the funeral! Funerals are very expensive, as are burials. Prior to the 17th century, Torajans buried family members in coffins stored at the base of cliffs. Unfortunately, their graves were plundered due to easy access, and so they began to hide the graves inside niches hollowed out of the cliffs. It cost several buffalo to have a specialist hollow out a grave, and so the process could take many years depending on the wealth of the family. Tau tau like this one would then stand guard, looking down from a balcony on the rock face.
  
  See a very similar example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/316100
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #144674

  Condition

  Extensive weathering to wood with large fissures, notably on the back of the torso and head and along one hip. There are light stains and discolorations, also the product of weathering, over much of the surface, as well as light deposits and encrustations. Overall, however, the piece is in good condition and does not feel fragile. Arms and head are removable. Inlaid shells are in nice condition.
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