tunggal panaluan was carved out of the wood of cassia javanica, the only tree from which the tunggal panaluan can be created. the tree occupies a central place in the ancestral myth of the batak people, as well as the figures depicted on the tunggal panaluan. tunggal panaluan was carved with human and animal figures arranged above each other. the human figure refer to a batak myth that tells of incestuous twins. animals found depicted in the tunggal panaluan include snakes, dragons, geckos and water buffaloes. another type of magic staff, known as the tunggal malehat, depicts a human riding either a horse or a mythical beast.