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Lot 700
Ancestor statue "yene"
Estimated Value:
3.000 € - 5.000 €
Result:
incl. Premium and VAT
Description:
South Moluccas, Leti, Indonesia East, 19th cent.H. 65,5 cm
Wood (Cordia subcordata). Fine old statue from the island of Leti in the southern Moluccas. Statues of this type were collected at the beginning of the 20th century by the researcher Riedel and can be seen, for example, in the Rautenstrauch-Jost Museum in Cologne. Due to their inherent elegance, they attracted the attention of explorers and travellers at an early stage. The composition is unmistakable: a figure with a pronounced nose (sometimes mistaken for a bird on other objects) sits on a high plinth in a relaxed, crouching posture with arms folded at the knees. A kind of raised backrest can be seen in the back of the figure, which ends in an elegant volute. The figure, whose face ends in a pronounced nose that defines the features, has a headdress. The high pedestal has a cord notch and a tap hole for attaching an offering bowl. According to one interpretation, the figure represents the high god of the Sermata archipelago, who is also understood as the highest ancestor.
Collected from an old German private collection since the 1950s
Figures of this type are called yene on Leti and the neighbouring islands and are cut from the wood of Cordia subcortata (a borage plant). According to the owners, the "shadows" only inhabit the statuettes for a certain period of time and so the figures could be discarded after a certain time. A new one was then made. The headdress and the shape of the earrings reflect the caste affiliation of the ancestor. On Leti and the neighbouring islands, these statues are kept in the upper part of the house, where a hatch is provided for them. This allows the ancestor to watch over the house. On Babar, the statues are placed in rock shelters, from which they are taken out for specific occasions. It is generally understood that the human being consists of a combination of body and mind. The mind is visualised by the shadow. This "shadow" continues to exist, even if the body has already passed away. In order to enable relatives to make contact with the "shadow" of the deceased, ancestor figures are commissioned to whom betel nut offerings are made on certain occasions. For this purpose, the shadows return from the realm of the dead and temporarily reside in the ancestor figure. Very high-ranking ancestor figures (such as this one) wear the "rooster that was never defeated" (Ciwi Resresi)
