SPL E NDOUR FOR TH E ANC E STORS ­ TH E SCULPTUR E AND GOLD OF NIAS – TAASA Review June 2010

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This article was originally found in the June 2010 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 19, Issue 2, Page 11).

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Niki van den Heuvel C reated for the veneration and appeasement of ancestors and the attainment of high status and power, the art of Nias ­ a small island situated off Sumatra’s west coast ­ is widely acclaimed as among the most dramatic and spectacular examples of Indonesian animist art.

In earlier times monumental sculptures carved from stone and wood in the form of ancestral and aristocratic effigies, obelisks, pillars, steles and seats of honour were prolific throughout the entire island.

Although rare, complete and remnant examples of these impressive monuments are still found among traditional Niha villages, or öri, which consist of immense wooden houses, paved terraces and stone plazas...