Llibre d'endevinació

This manuscript-book contains various prophecies and magic formulas of the Batak communities, a people residing in the environs of Lake Toba, the mountainous area in the north of the island of Sumatra. One of the most important figures of the Batak were the priests called datu, who were capable of healing certain illnesses due to their command of traditional rites and the fact that they could make contact with the spirit world. These magicians specialised in specific questions and used ritual instruments that they often made themselves, such as magic sticks, protective figures and recipients to keep the magic substances. Very often the magic remedies were compiled in books like this one, which were called pustaha. The book is bound with rectangular wooden covers, decorated with plant motifs. The covers are closed with plaited fibre ribbons and have a cord joined at the ends to carry the book hanging. Inside, as is common, the text is accompanied by drawings of enigmatic figures and apparently abstract motifs painted in red and outlined with black ink. Most of the texts in the pustaha books are difficult to interpret, since they used a form of writing originating from the ancient Kawi language from Java, and in general could only be read by the priests that wrote them or people to whom they had given the keys of interpretation.