Knife with crouching male and female figures with sheath
- CULTURE:
- Batak peoples
- DATE:
- c. 1860–1900
General Description
Among the Batak, the traditional marriage gifts from a husband's lineage to his bride's family included a pair of knives in a single sheath or scabbard. The use of male and female figures on the handles suggests that this pair was a ceremonial wedding gift. The handles represented the man and woman united in marriage.
Excerpt from
Roslyn A.Walker, Label text, 2013.