Nias Tribe
The Nias tribe refer to their island as “Tano Niha” (land of people), which is located approximately 100 km off the west coast of Sumatra. The tribe was known for its headhunting, ancestor worship and a society made up of chiefs, noblemen, commoners and slaves. The society was one with a strict social hierarchy, which manifested itself strongly in the material culture of its people.
The traditional religion in Nias was Ancestor worship. They believed that the deceased inhabit a spiritual world that is still able to affect the world of the living. Ancestor carvings were kept in the house and usually lashed to the right wall of the family dwelling. The ancestor carvings were very important and were used to mediate between the spirit and human realms.There are 2 types of ancestor image, those that honor the ancestors and secure good-fortune and fertility, and those that protect against disease and other forms of harm. They are either made of wood or stone.
Feasts are important Nias ritual and are a visual display of the wealth of the nobility. It is a way for them to showcase their social status. It is common to carve an osa osa (seat of honor) when a nobleman is honored for his merit. He is carried around the central square on the seat nine times before being set down in front of his house. The ritual symbolizes his rebirth in the village with a new status.
3 Artifacts
Osa Osa
This is an osa osa (seat of honor). It is used when a nobleman is honored for his merit. He is carried around the central square on the seat nine times before being set down in front of his house. The ritual symbolizes his rebirth in the village with a new status.
In the modern day, we have wooden seats of different designs depending on the culture. They also have long poles on the edges of it for 4 men to carry it on their shoulders easily. 1. This artifact is made of stone, while the modern version is made of wood.
- This seat has no supporting structure for men to carry, but the modern version has.
- The modern version can occupy a few people, while this seat can occupy only one.
These are Ancestor carvings. They were kept in the house and usually lashed to the right wall of the family dwelling. The ancestor carvings were used to mediate between the spirit and human realms.There are 2 types of ancestor image, those that honor the ancestors and secure good-fortune and fertility, and those that protect against disease and other forms of harm. They are either made of wood or stone.
Today’s modern carving is not much different from these. You can see them in worship places: temples, churches, etc.
-This artifact is usually kept in houses, but modern carvings for worship can be found in temples, churches, and homes.
-These artifacts served as reminders of the deceased, while modern carvings represent gods which we pray to.
-These artifacts had no color, but modern carvings do.
-This artifact is usually kept in houses, but modern carvings for worship can be found in temples, churches, and homes.
-These artifacts served as reminders of the deceased, while modern carvings represent gods which we pray to.
-These artifacts had no color, but modern carvings do.
Chinese Coins
- These coins are donut-shaped, while today’s coins are disc-shape.
- Some of chinese coins were made of either gold, silver, or bronze. But today’s coins are all made of metal or synthetic materials.
- Most of the ancient chinese coins of the same type all have the same value, but modern coins have different values. Eg. 5, 10, 20, 50 cents.
