Chest ornament. Sumba, Indonesia, 19th century

Chest ornament. Sumba, Indonesia, 19th century.
Silver.
Measurements: 16 x 18 cm.

Large silver chest ornament in the form of two joined triangles. This ornament belongs to the sacred relics of the lineage and is kept in the attic of the adat houses, where the tribal nobility lives. Only on certain ritual occasions is the marangga brought out under the direction of a priest. In some areas of West Sumba, this chest ornament forms a permanent sacred ensemble with special gold mamuli (earrings) and a gold tabelu (a forehead ornament). Marangga and mamuli are often carved on gravestones, altars, and stone stelae (Rodgers, pp. 333-334, fig. 205, fig. Local goldsmithing).