These wooden figures are carved by hand by local artisans on the island of Sumba in Indonesia, made as per ancient techniques. They’re carved with a human form in honour of the Marapu (ancestral spirits). The human figure is an invitation for the Marapu to move inside the statues to protect and guide their owner through life.

Marapu is the animistic/ancestral religion practiced in Sumba, and its spirits are believed to be the occupants of the eternal heaven, living in couples and leading a similar existence to men. One of these couples are believed to be the ancestor of the Sumbanese.

The set comes complete with blackened metal stands and its story printed out for you inside a beautiful envelope. Being artisan crafted each piece is slightly different, and each has natural, visible cracks as beautiful signs of the aging of the wood.

Heights ca 78 and 90cm with the stands. 

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