This beautifully carved medicine bottle is made out of Buffalo bone and black horn, by local artisans the island of Sumba in Indonesia.

These types of bottles were used to contain powerful potions prepared by the village shaman.
The carved wooden tap is depicting a man in honour to the Marapu (ancestral spirits). The human figure is an invitation for the Marapu to move inside the bottle, and protect and guide it’s owner through life.

Marapu is an animistic/ancestral religion practiced in Sumba. The Marapu 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 bottle comes complete with a black metal stand and its story printed out for you inside a beautiful envelope.

Being handmade each piece is slightly different.

Dimensions 40 x 10cm stand included.