COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Sieraden en andere kostbaarheden getoond door de raja van Anakalang Sumba TMnr 60002196

Madaka, also written as mendaka, is a type of precious metal valuable to the

Sumba people The Sumba (or Sumbese) people are an ethnic group inhabiting Sumba Island in Indonesia, which is divided by four regencies, namely the Southwest Sumba Regency, West Sumba Regency, East Sumba Regency, Central Sumba Regency, and the East Sumba Rege ...

Sumba Sumba (; ), natively also spelt as Humba, Hubba, Suba, or Zuba (in Sumba languages) is an Indonesian island (part of the Lesser Sunda Archipelago group) located in the Eastern Indonesia and administratively part of the East Nusa Tenggara pro ...

Island,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. It is found in the

megalithic A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

culture of the western Sumba people, e.g. the tribe of

Anakalang Anakalang is a village area (''desa'') and a small kingdom in the western part of Sumba island, in eastern Indonesia. It is noted for numerous megalithic tombs and its quadrangular adzes. Location, transport Administratively, the village (' ...

. Of all precious metal valuable to Sumba people, the madaka is considered to be the most sacred type of gold heirloom.

Form and evolution

Madaka have the shape best described as scalloped lumps. According to some Sumbanese people, the madaka was a stylized

naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions ** Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong River ** Naga, another name for Bakunawa, an ...

dragon: the radiating spokes are said to represent the spine of the ''naga'', and the opening its mouth.

elders explained that the madaka was the most archaic and sacred of all gold heirlooms of Sumba. Some madaka date back five or six centuries. Madaka have been presented by the ancient rulers of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

as tokens of high office. The shape is a variation of another Sumba ornament called the mamuli, with a row of radiating spokes surrounding a hole and a slit in the middle. In the case of the mamuli, the shape represents female genitalia and symbolizes female sexuality and the ability of women to create life. The archaic omega-shaped form of both mamuli and madaka is also known as "open oval". In the case of the madaka, one of the two finials (which are on each side of the bottom slit) protrudes further than the other. This is comparable with other open oval forms found in the Indonesian archipelago, e.g. the ''duri-duri'' of the

Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...

, far west in

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

. Modern madaka made of low carat gold with rough work are sold for the tourist market. These madaka objects are usually carved with fanciful additions of animals or human figures as an attempt to increase interest and price.

Function

The madaka of Sumba are used as a kind of heirloom object that was accumulated by the clan leader through time and mostly kept in the interior. Together with other heirloom objects e.g. the marangga and the mamuli, madaka are kept in the attic of the noble's uma mbatangu or the traditional Sumbanese peaked house. They are brought into the light only during ritual occasions and under the control of the village priests. The madaka is instrumental in marriage ceremonies, as it is one of the many objects. The madaka is given to the wife-taker from the family of the wife-giver.

References

Cited works

* * {{refend Types of jewellery Jewellery components Necklaces Sumba Archaeological artefact types Archaeology of Indonesia

Form and evolution

Function

See also

References

Cited works