Indonesia
Toba Batak people of northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Wood, metal strings
Early – Mid 20th century
Length: 26.3 in, Width: 3.5 in, Depth: 1.9 in
Chordophones – Lutes – Plucked

The hasapi is a slender plucked boat-lute of the Toba Batak people of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.  It is believed that they were originally used for Zere religious rituals and as a courtship instrument.  In the mid to late 20^th century, they were made mainly as woodcarving souvenirs for tourists. However, today the Toba Batak are now Christians, and they use the hasapi in the uning-uningan ensemble, a small secular instrumental entertainment group. This lute has two metal strings that extend from the tuning pegs located on each side of the pegbox to pins in a block of wood that serves as a fixed bridge near the lower end of the wooden sound table.  The top of the pegbox shows the carving of a stylized anthropomorphic  man seated on an zoomorphic figure (possibly a crowned bird), while the bottom bears the carving of a human face.

Reference: hasapi · Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection · WMI Testing