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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 445981, member: 2844&quot;]Yes tourist ware, and yes it is Batak. Probably late 20th century.</p><p>It is based on traditional sacred objects carved with Singa and rider.</p><p><br /></p><p>The bearded figure is often described as a deity or an ancestor. He is riding a Singa, which to the Batak is a protective mythical beast which is closely related to the Naga of other Indonesian cultures.</p><p>The Singa has the dragon/water serpent qualities of the Naga, usually a humanoid face, and occasionally water buffalo features. The name is taken from the Sanskrit word for lion, an animal which is unknown to the Batak. But what&#039;s in a name.<img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/wink.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=";)" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Singas are seen a lot in Batak carvings, as house protectors, for instance.</p><p>Singa riders used to be made for items used only by the Datu or shaman, like medicine vessels and magico-shamanic staffs. They also have a protective quality.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Batak carvers have accommodated to tourism to some extent. Traditional motifs are carved on souvenirs they hope will sell. Since this is a tourist carving I doubt there is any connection with a traditional item, so it could have been intended as a candle stick.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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