Ultop
Encyclopedia
An ultop is a traditional toy
, made from bamboo
and common in the Batak
Highland of northern Sumatra
, Indonesia
. Children often make this toy.
The ultop consists of two pieces. The first is a small bamboo with a diameter around 2–5 cm, the inside of which is shaped like a funnel
. Two edges of the bamboo are cut until both edges can be seen through the funnel. The second piece is a rod with an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the funnel. Grain or fruit, slightly larger than the diameter of the funnel, is placed in the funnel and the rod is pressed against it as hard as the child can. The fruit or grain will be forced out with great speed and the sound like a small explosion. This makes it the local equivalent of a pop gun
.
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
, made from bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and common in the Batak
Batak (Indonesia)
Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The term is used to include the Toba, Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Angkola and Mandailing, each of which are distinct but related groups with distinct, albeit related, languages and...
Highland of northern Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Children often make this toy.
The ultop consists of two pieces. The first is a small bamboo with a diameter around 2–5 cm, the inside of which is shaped like a funnel
Funnel
A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....
. Two edges of the bamboo are cut until both edges can be seen through the funnel. The second piece is a rod with an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the funnel. Grain or fruit, slightly larger than the diameter of the funnel, is placed in the funnel and the rod is pressed against it as hard as the child can. The fruit or grain will be forced out with great speed and the sound like a small explosion. This makes it the local equivalent of a pop gun
Pop gun
A pop gun is a toy gun that uses air pressure to fire a small tethered projectile out of a barrel via piston action...
.