Art of the Ancestors Most Popular Features of 2020

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Sacred carving (jaraik) for attracting blessings and expelling evil influences. Wood, bokkoi monkey skull, mother-of-pearl, red and black pigments, 138 x 93 cm, from the entrance to the rear room of the former Maileppet uma, East Siberut, ca. 1920. NMVW 7085-1

As we enter the new year, Art of the Ancestors presents a brief retrospective of our top features from 2020. We are grateful for all of the support and positive reinforcement we have received from our contributors as well as from our readership. We look forward to sharing more beautiful art and thought-provoking content in the months to come. If there is a topic or field of interest you believe our community would benefit from, we invite you to make suggestions through our Contact page.

Best wishes,

Art of the Ancestors Editorial Team

“Ambivalent blessings: Headhunting on Siberut (Mentawai) in a comparative Southeast Asian perspective” by Dr. Reimar Schefold

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Detail of sacred carving (jaraik), openwork ornament. Uma decoration resembling the jaraik from neighboring Maileppet, but purchased with a broken midsection. Wood, rattan, mother-of-pearl, red and black pigments, glass beads, skull (bokkoi, Macaca nemestrina pagenesis), 75 x 120 cm, ca. 1910. Collected by Paul Wirz, 1926. Katoerei, East Siberut. Museum der Kulturen Basel, llc 2683.

Kayanic Art | Aesthetic Traditions of Borneo: Part III

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Bahau Saa' or Busang-Bahau guardian figure from the top of a funerary post | Jihe
© Dallas Museum of Art

In Conversation with Peter Lee

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Courtesy of Marcus Tan

Resource Spotlight | “Steel and Magic: Edged Weapons of the Malay Archipelago”

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Keris
Banten (West Java) | Sundanese
© Deutsches Klingenmuseum Solingen

Cultural History In Focus | “New Ireland: Art of the South Pacific” by Michael Gunn from Tribal Art Magazine

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Northern style composite helmet mask with avian and aquatic imagery
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Cultural History In Focus | “Sultans’ Palaces and Museums in Indonesian Borneo” by Bernard Sellato

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Bronze Shrine Figure
© Dallas Museum of Art

23 Masterworks from Museum Nasional Indonesia

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Painted Mythological Figure | Aso
© Museum Nasional Indonesia

Cultural History In Focus | “Iban Beaded Costume” by Michael Heppell

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Kayanic woman with beaded hat
© Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen

Cultural History In Focus | “Speaking to the Spirits: Thinking Comparatively about Women in Asian Indigenous Beliefs” by Barbara Watson Andaya

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A Sa'dan Toraja priestess during the bua' festival. Sulawesi. Dr. C.H.M. Nooy-Palm 1970
© Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen

Floating War World: Dancing with Dayak Shields

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Studio portrait of a Dayak with lance and shield.
© Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen

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