Adu Zatua - Wooden Ancestor Sculpture. Adu Zatua statues used to be made after a parent passed away and kept as representations of the deceased person. Nias people believed that the spirit of their ancestors still remained inside the wooden sculpture. An old traditional house could contain many such statues.

Many ancestor statues were destroyed  during the “great penitence” religious movement that swept Nias in 1916. As symbols of the old religion of ancestor worship they were seen as blasphemous idols. Many were also sold to collectors and can now be found in museums and private collections all over the world.

Origins: Lalai Satua

Material: Wood

No.Inv: 03-2934

Height: 77,2 cm / Tbl: 11,2 cm / Weight: 7,14 kg

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