Black Sahan Boraspati Ni Tano

Sahan is a traditional Batak container used by healers to store herbal medicines, believed to preserve their potency and spiritual essence. Beyond its practical role, it also serves ritualistic purposes—sometimes used to hold ancestral ashes placed before fences to ward off evil and disease. Carved from buffalo horn, this ceremonial Sahan features intricate Batak motifs, most notably Boraspati ni Tano, the male earth and underworld deity symbolizing fertility and protection. The ancestral figures at the top and bottom honor lineage and act as a bridge between the living and the spiritual realm, reinforcing the Batak belief in ancestral presence, guidance, and protection in daily life.

Batak Medicine Storage, circa 1970
Origin: North Sumatra
Material: Wooden Carving, Buffalo Horn, Boar Hair
Dimension: 50 x 37 x 7,5 cm