2000.357 Ceremonial cloth (tampan)

Ceremonial cloths known as tampan, or ship cloths, depict a boat, fish and aquatic creatures of the underworld, birds and dragonflies of the upperworld, crewmen, and cargo. On the upper tier of this tampan, a man and a woman dressed in ceremonial garments stand facing each other under a gate on a platform that resembles a barge. The figures to their left and right represent deities in human form who clear the way and sanctify their path. Masts, flags, pennants, courtiers, and entertainers add to the celebratory and festive mood. The ship's cargo—two horses posed like the couple above—symbolizes power and wealth.

For the Pasisir, the ship is a significant model of society and references the marriage of the first ancestors. Once the helmsman or captain boarded the "boat of matrimony," the ship set sail and society came into being.

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, 2016.

2000: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from Pacific American Corp. (Steven G. Alpert), Dallas, Texas 

Notes:

The main source for this provenance is the document titled "Statement" dated May 9, 2000, in the Collections Records object file (2000.357).

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