Medicine Container

Toba Batak, Sumatra, Indonesia
19th c

Provenance: Rodger Dashow collection
Published: “Indonesian Tribal Art”, 2015, pg. 224.

Before the widespread adoption of Christianity in the early twentieth century, magic was a significant aspect of Batak religious practice. Religious specialists, known as “datu,” performed both benign and malevolent magic using various ritual paraphernalia. The most sacred and powerful of the datu’s objects was the potion container, or “guri guri.” These containers held “puk puk,” a potent substance made from a ritually executed human victim. It was believed that puk puk could compel the victim’s spirit to do the datu’s bidding.

This particular example is very rare as it is cast in brass, while most guri guri containers are made from gourds or small porcelain jars. Its stopper features a grinning figure in a seated position, surrounded by a ring of large granulated balls, with its hands clasped in a prayer-like pose commonly seen in Batak statuary. The figure has a broad nose and wide-set eyes. The surface is well-worn from repeated use and has developed a golden-brown patina.