The Newsletter 69 Autumn 2014

Beginning of the Becoming: Batak sculpture from northern Sumatra

David Alan Henkel

The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) in Singapore is currently presenting an exhibit that examines the extraordinary sculptural traditions of the Batak people, who live in the mountain heartlands around Lake Toba. This striking environment has nurtured an intriguing culture rooted in early Austronesian traditions including animism and ancestor veneration.