PERFECT PROTECTION

This striking ensemble includes a bold Topeng mask, 2 wooden totems and 2 tribal stone statues, all complete with the blackened metal supports.

 The mask was hand carved by local artisans on the island of Sumba in Indonesia, once known as Sandalwood Island for its prized, aromatic wood. It’s made with ancient techniques and featuring some of the islands traditional carving motifs. The people of Sumba has since antiquity been skilled wood carvers, making masks for harvest festivals, fertility rites, soul catching, death ceremonies and spiritual dances, initiation rites and exorcism rituals. Masks like this are believed to scare off evil spirits and sickness as well as protecting from natural disasters like drought and floods.

Also the tall wood statues were crafted on the island of Sumba, made with ancient techniques. The figures are carved with human forms in honor of the Marapu (ancestral spirits). Marapu is the animistic/ancestral religion practiced in Sumba, and its spirits are believed to be the occupants of the eternal sky, living as a couple and leading an existence similar to men. One of these pairs is believed to be the ancestors of the people of Sumba.

The stone totems depicting little boys were hand-carved in stone and comes from Timor, where many believe in animist religions. The human face is an invitation to their ancestral spirits to go inside the statue to protect and guide the owner and the home.

The suite comes with the stories of the artefacts printed out for you inside a beautiful envelope. Being artisan crafted with organic materials, each piece is slightly different containing beautiful, natural imperfections and cracks in the wood. Books not included.

DIMENSIONS INCLUDING THE BLACKENED METAL SUPPORTS:

• The mask: 122 x 30 x 30cm
• The set of 2 wooden figures: 89 x 9 x 9cm
• The set of 2 stone totems: the tall statue is 5cm wide by 22cm tall, and the shorter statue is 3,5cm wide by 18cm tall