“Scare Devils” of the Nicobar Islands
Is it significant that “Scare Devils” is an anagram of “Saved Relics?” The House does not believe so. But that doesn’t mean that these carved wooden figures aren’t fascinating.
So-called “scare devils” (henta-koi or hantakoi) are also known as kareau figures. These apotropaic carved and painted figures were made by people living in the Nicobar Islands to act as guardians of the home.
The Nicobar Islands lie in the Indian Ocean, east of Sri Lanka, in the Bay of Bengal. The islands were under the control of various Asian empires in the 16th century. The Islands were colonized by the Danish in ~1756 and were sold to the British in 1869. They became part of India in 1947. While most Nicobarese people practiced the Christian faith, they also followed the traditional animistic religion of the island, which includes belief in good and bad spirits.
The “scare devil” was used to guard Nicobari homes against illness, bad luck and other evil spirits. According to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, “When misfortune befell a household, the hentakoi was deemed to have lost its potency and would be discarded and replaced with a new figure. These discarded ‘idols’ were collected as souvenirs by visiting sailors.”
Kareau figures were carved by spiritual healers (menluanas) to heal and protect against illnesses, which could be caused by a range of sources including evil spirits to foreigners. The carved figure would be set up outside a sick person’s house to scare and drive away the bad spirits thought to be causing disease. License: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 Credit: Figure used to ward of malevolent spirits. Wellcome Collection.
This figure is dressed in European-style clothing, which may reflect the perceived power of Europeans at the time.
License: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Credit: Wooden statue, Nicobar Islands, India, 1880-1925.Science Museum, London.
© The Trustees of the British Museum
“The figure may represent the form of a deceased menluana or the head of a family. Significantly, the figure wears a top hat. European items of clothing like this were regarded as fashionable and valuable, and may have sometimes been used as sartorial tools by members of the Nicobarese community to negotiate with the British on an equal footing. This kareau was collected by Richard Carnac Temple, Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and editor of The Indian Antiquary.”
Male Figure (Kareau), 19th–early 20th century; India, Nicobar Islands, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Some of the carved figures from the Nicobar Islands are more zoomorphic in nature. © The Trustees of the British Museum
According to the Brooklyn Museum, only two other examples of this type are known: a heavy-bodied, crouching figure with a turtle carapace on the back. The figure wears a chin-strap helmet, pointed at the top in the Malayan manner. It suggests that the style derives from some part of the Malay Peninsula, where related dialects are spoken. The only recorded use of wood sculpture in this area was in forms of henta-koi, or "scare devils," intended to keep malevolent spirits at bay.
Figure (Kareau), 19th century. Wood, shell, pigment, Brooklyn Museum, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund and Museum Collection Fund, 63.57. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 63.57_SL1.jpg)
Scare-devil. Carved wooden figure. There are two textile tassels, one red and one cream, hanging from each ear, and the figure wears a red loincloth. The arms are detachable, and when attached are spread out to either side and slightly raised. The arms are inscribed with 'LEFT' and 'RIGHT'. © Horniman Museum and Gardens.
Large wooden figure used to scare evil spirits. The figure is made of dark wood, and is carved in the form of a man standing on an oval pedestal base. The arms are detached, but still present. ©Horniman Museum and Gardens.
Two boar's tusks and a forked tongue protrude from the mouth. The eyes are mother of pearl, and the facial features have been painted with red and black pigments. ©Horniman Museum and Gardens.
Monstrous figure (standing, used against evil spirits) made of wood, pearl-shell. The figure wears a vegetable fibre bracelet around its left wrist.© The Trustees of the British Museum
Male figure (standing, used in magic) made of wood, pearl-shell, rattan. © The Trustees of the British Museum
Crocodile “Guardian Figure” from the collection of the British Museum.