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2. Plank statues of Damar A wholly different variant of ancestor statues was to be found on the island of Damar, also organized matrilinearly. Although it is impossible to be completely certain, it is believed that until the advent of Christianity the founders of the descent groups on the island were represented by plank statues about one metre in height (RMV 1476-5 and RMV 1476-5a). Female In general, the planks on which the female figure is found are dominated by floral representations, combined with a boat motif - sometimes portrayed in a highly stylized manner - with stem and stern posts curving inwards. As with luli statues, in this boat motif a tree-like figure rises amidships. On some female plank statues a whole series of boat-like forms, placed immediately above one another, are linked together. The motif, often stylized and in open-work, is repeated at the top of the plank (RMV 1476-5). Our impression is that the boat motif on the plank statues of Damar was used in the same way as in the luli from Lakor - it represented the founding mother as the source of fertility. Male It is interesting to note that on Damar besides female plank statues there were also forms with a 'male' decorative pattern. One male plank statue, which is now famous, is in the collection of the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam and has motifs referring to hunting prowess. It features a series of (buffalo) horns, placed one above the other. Such a series of horns, attached to stakes, could once be seen on various islands in western Maluku Tenggara, testifying to the prestige of the descent group. It is very probable that this motif illustrated the hunting prowess of the figure represented on the plank - the founding father.
It is not known precisely where the plank statues of Damar were erected. Sources indicate that they were placed both outside and inside the house. In the latter instance this house was probably the 'oldest house' (founding house) of a descent group. | |
