Dart Container Wooden Clip
Kayan Dayak, East Borneo, Indonesia
Early 20th c.
Quivers fashioned from bamboo tubes were used by hunters throughout Borneo to hold blowpipe darts for the hunting of animals. This lidded tube was an essential item used to protect the hunter from the darts that were treated with strong plant derived poisons intended to stun prey. A long clip carved from wood and fastened to the bamboo tube with plaited rattan would have been used to attach the quiver to the hunter’s loincloth or belt. Hunting, like many utilitarian activities on Borneo, was associated with physical and spiritual perils. Symbolic imagery in the form of guardian dragon–dog (‘aso’) motifs, depicted on this clip would have provided protection to the hunter against misfortune and malevolent nature spirits.
Dart Container Wooden Clip
Kayan Dayak, East Borneo, Indonesia
Early 20th c.
Quivers fashioned from bamboo tubes were used by hunters throughout Borneo to hold blowpipe darts for the hunting of animals. This lidded tube was an essential item used to protect the hunter from the darts that were treated with strong plant derived poisons intended to stun prey. A long clip carved from wood and fastened to the bamboo tube with plaited rattan would have been used to attach the quiver to the hunter’s loincloth or belt. Hunting, like many utilitarian activities on Borneo, was associated with physical and spiritual perils. Symbolic imagery in the form of guardian dragon–dog (‘aso’) motifs, depicted on this clip would have provided protection to the hunter against misfortune and malevolent nature spirits.