Description:

Ancestor statue "yene"
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)

Ahnenstatue "yene"
Süd-Molukken, Leti, Indonesien Ost-, 19. Jh.
H. 65,5 cm
Holz (Cordia subcordata). Feine alte Statue von der Insel Leti der südlichen Molukken. Statuen dieser Art wurden zu Beginn des 20. Jh. von dem Forscher Riedel gesammelt und sind z.B. im Rautenstrauch-Jost-Museum in Köln zu sehen. Aufgrund der ihnen eigenen Eleganz zogen sie früh die Aufmerksamkeit von Forschern und Reisenden auf sich. Die Komposition ist unverkennbar: Eine Figur mit ausgeprägter Nase (an anderen Objekten fälschlich mit einem Vogel verwechselt) sitzt in entspannter, hockender Haltung mit auf den Knien verschränkten Armen auf einem hohen Sockel. Im Rücken der Figur ist eine Art erhöhter Lehne zu sehen, die in einer eleganten Volute ausläuft. Die Figur, deren Gesicht in eine ausgeprägte, die Züge bestimmende Nase ausläuft, hat einen Kopfschmuck. Der hohe Sockel ist mit Kordel-Kerbschnitt und einem Zapfloch für die Befestigung einer Opferschale versehen. Die Figur stellt nach einer Lesart den Hochgott der Sermata-Archipels dar, der auch als höchster Ahn verstanden wird.
Aus einer alten deutschen Privatsammlung seit den 1950er Jahren gesammelt

Figuren dieser Art heißen auf Leti und den Nachbarinseln yene und werden aus dem Holz von Cordia subcortata (ein Boretschgewächs) geschnitten. Nach Auffassung der Besitzer bewohnen die „Schatten“ die Statuetten nur eine gewisse Zeit und daher konnten die Figuren nach einer gewissen Zeit veräußert werden. Darauf wurde wieder eine neue angefertigt. Der Kopfschmuck und di

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December 9, 2024 9:30 AM CET
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300 € 359 € 30 €
360 € 399 € 40 €
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900 € 999 € 100 €
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