Tunggal panaluan
A tunggal panaluan is a magical staff used by the shamans of the Batak people, who live in the highlands of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Traditionally, the tunggal panaluan is made from the wood of a specific tree, carved with human figures, and adorned with horse hair and cooked human brain, both obtained from victims of sacrificial rituals.
Form
The tunggal panaluan is carved from the wood of Cassia javanica, the only tree from which a tunggal panaluan can be made. The tree holds a central place in Batak ancestral myth, as do the figures carved on the staff. A tunggal panaluan contains human and animal figures arranged one below another. Animals carved on a tunggal panaluan include snakes, dragons, gecko lizards, and water buffalo. Another type of magic staff, known as tunggal malehat, usually depicts a man riding a horse or a mythological creature.
Use
The tunggal panaluan was used in ceremonies to avoid disasters and illnesses, as well as to cause them. To imbue the staff with magic, the datu (shaman) must first create a hole in the staff where a magical substance known as pupuk is inserted. The creation of this substance also involves the decaying remains of a sacrificed child.
Variations
Tungkot malehat is another variant of the tunggal panaluan. Most tungkot malehat staffs are made and used by the Karo people. These staffs have a simpler design than those of the tunggal panaluan type. Tunggal panaluan staffs are elaborately carved down to the bottom, while tungkot malehat staffs are not carved all the way. The only carved part of a tungkot malehat staff is the top, usually carved with a human figure riding a singa (apotropaic figure) or a horse. Tungkot malehat is considered the more modern and recent version of the tunggal panaluan.