Strut Figure from a Shaman’s ritual container

Iban Dayak, Borneo
Early 20th c.

Provenance: Emiel Delbon, Antwerp

Among the Iban, shamans kept powerful ritual objects inside magic containers filled with charms, medicines, and spirit materials. The carved struts supporting these containers were not merely structural; they often took the form of spirit figures that guarded and empowered the contents within.

The sculpture is wonderfully animated. The figure crouches forward, elbows resting on its knees, hands pressed to the sides of the face in a pose of intense concentration—almost as if listening to the spirit world. The elongated head, pronounced nose, and open mouth give the figure a haunting presence, while the compact body and sharply angled limbs create a dynamic silhouette. Over time the hardwood has developed a deep, glossy ritual patina, the surface worn smooth by handling and years of ceremonial use. Part support, part guardian spirit, this small figure embodies the charged intersection of sculpture, ritual practice, and shamanic power that defines the art of the Dayak peoples.