1983.128 Ceremonial cloth (pua) withi Jugah's jawbone (rang Jugah)

The enigmatic design of this cloth is known as rang Jugah, or "Jugah's jawbone." While no weaver still remembers who Jugah was, the jawbone design is known to symbolize a severed trophy head taken in battle. To the weaver, it is one of the most terrifying designs she could attempt to weave.

Symbolic imagery surrounds the central jawbone design. The back-to-back C-shape on the upper band is called the "Sleeping Cat." Warmed by the heat, cats gathered in the part of a longhouse where trophy heads were being smoked. The rows of opposing zigzag lines near the bottom of the cloth represent the trail left by two pythons. Along the top and bottom edges, the "Drunken Decapitated Corpse" represents the victim's wobbly gait during his decapitation. Finally, at either side of the central design are omen birds, which calm the spirits with their singing.

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, 2016.

Borneo: The Island-Its Peoples  

n.d.: Steven G. Alpert, purchased from Kanyan ak Mantok at Rumah Grajie, Sungai Ngumah, Kanowit, 3rd Division, Sarawak [1]

1983: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from above [2]

Notes:

The main source for this provenance is the Pacific American Corp. document titled "Dallas Museum of Art: The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles" in the Collections Records file labeled Steven G. Alpert—Indonesian Textiles. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[1] The piece had belonged to Kanyan ak Mantok's mother, Mendong ak Buja, who in turn had inherited the piece through her mother, Mundon, and grandmother, Lawi. The piece dates back four generations and was actually woven in on the Batang Ai, not the Ngumah. 

[2] See pages 1-4 of the correspondence between Harry S. Parker and Pacific American Corp. dated October 5, 1983, in the Collections Records file labeled Steven G. Alpert—Indonesian Textiles. 

Apply to objects where number equals 1983.128