Batak Gong

The Batak are an indigenous tribe on the island of Sumatra, and are believed to be among the oldest inhabitants of present-day Indonesia. Various influences affected the Batak through their contact with Hindu, Buddhist, and Javanese traders and settlers on the island of Sumatra. This influence can be found in their ritualistic music. During tribal ceremonies, the Batak women, wearing sarongs, will pound out a joyful rhythm on gongs and long drums with heavy club-like drum sticks. In this remarkable piece, the gong itself is flanked and supported by two hand carved wood pillars. Each is skillfully crafted to represent sacred tribal members as a form of ancestor worship. The gong, when struck, resonates with the spirit of the Batak people who created it so long ago.