Object Notes

This bronze casting is composed of three elements. The first is a central crouched figure that probably represents a priest, healer, or fabled ancestor. Each is an intermediary empowered to straddle and navigate the worlds of men, god, and spirits.

Long ago among the Tanimbarese, the krai silai (great sword), was the most impressive of all weaponry. The handles of such swords were usually composed of wood and bone and decorated with carved spiral patterns.

Originally painted white, this old and well used mask’s long sallow face with its parted mouth, bared teeth, and a jutting chin evoke the sly and menacing persona of Indai guru’, a female spirit that lurks in lofts and along the far reaches and edges of the longhouse.

These small male and female figures are called pinetau or tau tau, which means "little person." This is the same name that is given to the funerary figures of the Toraja area.

High-ranking Kenyah warriors carried shields decorated with faces during warfare and headhunting raids. The faces, which may represent those of ancestors, served the dual purpose of protecting the bearer while intimidating or even harming the enemy.

The upswept and spiraling hairstyle on this lithe seated figure is a metaphor for sexuality and, by extension, fertility. It was probably used in connection with headhunting rites, perhaps as the finial for a hook on which an enemy’s skull was hung.

These small male and female figures are called pinetau or tau tau, which means "little person." This is the same name that is given to the funerary figures of the Toraja area.

Distinctive double-spiral ornaments were worn as earrings or as part of a ceremonial headdress. Because of their great weight, solid examples such as these were usually wrapped with a cloth headdress.

Bracelets of this type were worn by aristocratic bridegrooms, by men of high status during the funerals of their fathers, and as a kind of amulet by men who wanted to improve the quality of their dreams.

Whether this shield’s imagery records real events or is simply the product of an artist’s lively imagination is unknown. The meanings of the colors and some of the motifs, however, can be interpreted. The cardinal points are represented by four elemental colors.