Description
Antique Bronze Batak Parpanggalahan Powder Container
Region: Sumatra Indonesia
Width: 29cm / Â 11.5 inches.
Height: 17cm / 7 inches
This most unusual and nicely cast ‘bronze’ Naga Morsarang vessel would have been carried by a Toba Batak chief to contain a personal supply of gunpowder. Most gunpowder containers similar in shape to this one were usually carved from water buffalo horn and wood.
A Naga Morsarang is also one of several types of container in which the Datu (Batak people’s ritual specialist) kept a supernaturally powerful potion. This artefact is extensively decorated with complex patterns. The outer surface has a complex design, and the pointed end has the shape of a seated figure of a man.
The stopper is as always shaped into a figure of the Singa, a mythical creature symbolizing power, protection, and prestige.
Many additional human figures are mounting the Singa. These human figures may represent the Datu or represent characters from Batak mythology.
The Batak were skilled in casting metals, and in the use of a wide assortment of bladed weapons and firearms. They were skilled in the arts of shooting muzzle-loading flintlock guns acquired through trade. Gunpowder was locally manufactured from sulfur, which was melted down and mixed with powdered charcoal, saltpetre and lime extract. Added to this concoction were shredded leaves gathered during a thunderstorm and herbs harvested during an earthquake. These powerful materials would increase the gunpowder’s efficacy by giving it the destructive power of these strong elemental forces.
