Wooden Weaving Shuttle

Iban Dayak, West Borneo, Indonesia
Early 20th c

Provenance: Lawrence Grant, NYC, retired insurance executive who acquired this shuttle when he was working in Singapore between 1981-1985

Wooden shuttles were traditionally used by the Iban people, an indigenous group from the island of Borneo, for weaving textiles. The shuttles were designed to carry the weft threads back and forth through the warp threads on a loom, allowing the weaver to create a patterned fabric. This example still retains cotton threads wrapped inside it. The shuttles are often covered in intricate carved designs that reflect the Iban culture and beliefs. These designs are typically symbolic and may represent various aspects of nature, such as plants, animals, and insects. They may also depict important cultural and spiritual motifs, such as the hornbill, which is considered a powerful symbol of strength and wisdom. In addition to their decorative function, the carved designs on the shuttles may have served a practical purpose as well. They may have helped the weavers to identify their own shuttles in a communal weaving space.