A Batak Manuscript – Book of Ritual Knowledge

A good example of a Batak manuscript or Pustaha.

These were also called the Book of Ritual Knowledge.

Written on bamboo or bark in a cryptic script, these were primarily used by Shamans. Meant as guide books for students who already knew the context, these books are written not in any current language but in an ancient dialect and includes words from foreign languages, making it challenging to translate.

A glimpse:

Click here to see more images of this intriguing and mysterious piece of cultural history of Sumatra.

jm

Dec 2015