Karo Batak Perminakan
 

Hello,

From time to time I find objects that complement my collection items on display, such as those from Sumatra. I acquired these two Perminakan for that reason, but without knowing their real purpose. Now I do, but I’ve not told the family (yet) because they would surely object to them in the house.

These are Perminakan (parminaken, guri-guri), one of several types of containers made by a spiritual guru (datu) to hold pupuk, a deadly, supernatural poison used in black magic to inflict damage to enemies. The pupuk is a powerful substance that (it is believed) can be used to reanimate the spirits of the dead (see reference; caution, it is terrifying).

The darker one is from the Karo Batak of north Sumatra, Indonesia, once one of the most fierce cannabalism tribes of Sumatra. The Toba Batak have a similar container, called naga morsarang (sahan).

Dave A

Thanks for posting. What points to these being for pupuk rather than containers for other purposes? The general cylindrical bamboo containers with Batak symbolic carvings are rather common and used to hold a range of substances, and many were also produced for the tourist market. The Wikipedia article, to me, leans toward more extreme pustaha references that may not reflect typical practice, similar to how ritualized cannibalism is often exaggerated.

Thanks for the reply. I can’t give you a more authoritative answer than this was how the auction house described them (reputable auctioneers, not eBay). Clearly, I have more to learn. I welcome any sources you can offer.

Dave A

The one in the small picture is clearly a tourist container, the one in the bigger pic looks better to my eyes but I am sceptical also. When you have visited in the 90s last century Antique shops in Bali you can find these and other Batak items on mass, I am always very sceptical when it comes to Batak items. :rolleyes:

Regards,
Detlef

Here are some pictures from the book "The Batak" from Achim Sibeth of antique Batak containers.

Sajen,

I’m grateful for your assessment and the book reference.

Also, thank you both for giving me some doubt about whether I had pupak containers in the house. I once had a dealer from Java express concern that I had too many potentially powerful of objects in my house and that could be trouble. Pupak is very troubling.

I am most intrigued by ancestor figures and their role in imbuing power and agency to inanimate objects (e.g., keris, the contents of these jars) as part of the rituals and belief systems held by people in that region of the world.

Dave A

Hi Dave,

Just wrote you a pm!

Regards,
Detlef