Borneo Textiles in Global Museum Collections
Borneo Textiles in Global Museum Collections
Curated by Steven G. Alpert
This month, Art of the Ancestors features examples of the woven arts of Borneo, principally those of the Iban, Kantu, Benua, and Ngaju peoples. This feature serves as a prelude to upcoming and redux offerings devoted to the celebration and appreciation of the arts and peoples of this fabled island. While Iban textiles exist in large numbers, we are keen to introduce a few of these items from the highest strata of beauty, content, and technique that are stewarded in the public domain.
Iban blankets often assist in demarcating sacred spaces as they afford protection and invite the blessings of the ancestors. The darkest blood reds to the richest maroons were the most highly valued registers of color. The dyeing and mordanting processes for creating deeper palettes were especially revered. Enormous prestige was accorded to exceptional dyers and weavers who possessed and cultivated their technical expertise. Among the foremost weavers are the leaders of the gaar, a ceremony where a blanket's dyes and fixatives are applied to homespun cotton threads. Ritual actions performed during the gaar represent female activities said to have been considered complementary or parallel to a warrior's role in headhunting. This practice is still referred to this day as kayau indu' or the "warpath of women."
The resulting patterns and the praise names attached to individual cloths were deeply drawn from both the natural and supernatural worldviews of the Iban. Their magnificent and sometimes aggressive imagery invokes mythical heroes to visually frame the ethos of warrior people. Whether hung, folded, draped over constructions, or laid on the floor, textiles pua or pua sungkit were publicly displayed and invoked on important ceremonial or ritual occasions. Beyond beautification, the designs on the finest textiles were also used by women to praise, defend, and encourage their menfolk by contributing to what we might call a heightened state; one considered essential to secure blessings, desired results, or successful outcomes.
In Iban society, it said that a man's hands were once tattooed if he had taken a head in a raid, while a woman's hands were tattooed in a certain way if she was recognized for having mastered the technical progressions necessary to becoming a virtuoso as a weaver. Just as Jacob wrestles with God in the Old Testament and becomes limp at the hip in a transformative experience, Iban weavers also 'wrestle' with mastering the technical and psychological content of their subject matter. Traditionally, an Iban weaver would not likely or pridefully attempt a pattern beyond her own station or level of technical skill. The accumulation of practical and mythological knowledge, coupled with grappling with a repertoire of designs, in part sanctioned by dreams or special signs, were part of the hallmarks of a weaver's evolution. Missteps, it was said, could result in misfortune, illness, and even death. "To truly understand Iban ritual textiles is to understand Iban cosmology. The two are inseparable. Iban ritual textiles are, in essence, canvasses on which Iban myths, philosophies, stories, and histories are woven." (see Kedit: 2009, Borneo Research Bulletin, and Kedit: 1994: 154).
One of the most illuminating discussions, a must-read on this subject, can be found in Vernon Kedit's comments on varying levels of a design's content in conjunction with the evolution of a weaver's development. (Kedit: Eyes of the Ancestors: 2013, pp. 150-171). The blankets illustrated in that volume, some of which are reproduced here, range from that of a very promising weaver that depicts interlocking shields (terbai) to textiles of great distinction by weavers of the highest acclaim. Referring to the latter, Kedit writes: "The Dallas Museum of Art's brilliantly executed Balai Bugau Kantu with its deep burgundy maroon wash and near perfect symmetry was certainly woven by a master weaver...". Another perfectly knotted blanket with a brilliant burgundy wash depicts rows of six monitor lizards, bandau bepandung, facing one another that recalls "the days of headhunting when warriors would often sit atop high platforms" as sentinels overlooking the forest. Here, in this guise armored and powerful creatures are vigilant, stalwart and dangerous with thick, scaly skins that are reminiscent of a fighter's practice of making his skin impenetrably thick (tebal) and thus inured to the cut of an enemy's blade. This is a classic example of a fine mid-19th-century cloth.
Yale University Art Gallery has the most extensive public collection of Iban cloth outside Borneo. One of my favorites from their assemblage for its fine coloration, execution, and pristine condition is an Iban pua of advanced design. Known in the Baleh region as Jugah's jawbone (rang Jugah), blankets with this complex and enigmatic collection of motifs attest to the ferocity and bravery of a house's menfolk. In conjunction with the weaver's ability to painstakingly create such beautiful and important cloth, praise names were attached. Good examples of this are associated with the rang Jugah pattern that have been recorded by Michael Heppell and Datin Amar Margaret Linggi in which there are references to severed heads and pried open jawbones, and as Kedit pens regarding this design, an allusion to the practice of smoking trophy heads and mutilated body parts above the kitchen's hearth. (Kedit: 2013: 163)
Also included here is a detail from a blanket representing a row of anthropomorphic figures, broadly referred to as engkeramba. Engkaramba are esoteric figures, other beings, forest spirits, or gods whose powerful presence has been navigated, propitiated, and gated by a weaver of high standing. This particular cloth is noted by the British Museum as having been given along with 148 other items by Lady Margaret Brooke, the wife of Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah of Sarawak (1868-1917), in 1896. In the realm of early documented textiles, one item now in the British Museum and formerly in the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens' collection (1851/1852-1866) was donated to them by James Brooke (1841-1868), the first white Rajah of Sarawak. It is the only pua sungkit, supplementary weft or wrapped textile of its type, that I am personally aware of existing in a museum that was received in the 19th century. It is a narrow cloth depicting the 'white heat' motif (lebur api) whose central panel depicts a dancing demon proffering trophy heads. It is of a type that was used during the gawai enchoboh arong, the 'clearing of the path' ceremony, to the chants of the naku' pala when trophy heads were received and celebrated upon entering into the longhouse. In the mid-1970s, from remote areas on the Engkari to the Katibas to offshoots of the Baleh river regions, I would occasionally watch elderly women gingerly reenact this moment. Promenading up and down the longhouse's inner veranda, they would also sway with animated gestures while imitating the suckling of a child at their breasts. In a poignant paper, Kedit delves into this sungkit's unique history and the ramifications of its meaning. It was given to James Brooke by Dana Bayang, a famous Saribas warrior who was defeated by the Rajah's forces in 1849 in an unrequited gesture of reciprocity that was never fulfilled. (See: Kedit: A Chief's Caveat, A Rajah's Gift, A Museum's Treasure: The Story of An Iban Cloth's Journey from Borneo to the British Museum, Borneo Research Bulletin (Vol. 48), 2017).
Woven sungkit items associated with headhunting also still exist in fairly large numbers. Two of the pua sungkit illustrated here have many cognates but are seldom of this quality, color, tight weave, or condition. The first depicts a center containing twelve powerful nagas, or coiled dragons. The second, a large and impressive piece, portrays kneeling deities or demigods. Above them are eighteen frontal-facing figures divided into three rows. These textiles are essentially potent prayers for success before going on a raid and in commemoration of its aftermath in order to honor a warrior's bravery and a house's menfolks safe, triumphant, and head-ladened return. These two pieces are beautifully and meaningfully described in Eyes of the Ancestors (Kedit: 2013:166-171). The latter cloth is designated as Menyeti Lebur Api Mansau Tisi Dilah Kendawang or "the Beautiful White Heat with Deep Red Edges like the Tongue of the Krait."
While old pua sungkit and sungkit jackets exist in relatively large numbers, they are nevertheless miracles of survival and, of course, the product of vigilant care. Aside from being perishable items in a tropical environment prone to the ravages of time and catastrophic events, their survival very much can be said to have depended on the manner in which they were stored. When I perchance encountered fine sungkit in situ, it was often due to the fact that they had been kept in chests or suitable containers. If they had been safely stored, these tended to be the oldest woven items kept in a family's aggregation of heirloom textiles. Such a documented piece is a headhunter's jacket (baju kirai) from Entawau on the Baleh River that was already six generations old when it was collected in 1975. Traditional sungkit certainly dates to the late 18th or the very early 19th century and, as such, can be over 200 years old.
There are also images of four ikat skirts utilizing homespun cotton and natural dyes; three of Kantu origin from across the border in Indonesia and one Iban example from the Baleh in Sarawak. Women's skirts or kain kebat were famously donned during rituals and festive occasions. Their abstract designs, at their best, display a family's cache of skirts and a young woman's promise. In addition, they served as a kind of currency or payment for services rendered by a manang (a shamanic healer) or lemambang (a bard) for dirges sung in remembrance of the deceased. They were also given as gifts to esteemed visitors. Michael Heppell documented a most unusual use of these skirts. "Women rip off their skirts and toss them at men to shame them into action. The practice still occurs today, especially in domestic disputes, when a wife wants to make a very public point. It is her way of saying, "You are not fit to wear my skirt!" (Iban Art — Sexual Selection and Severed Heads: Weaving, Sculpture, Tattooing and Other Arts of the Iban of Borneo, 2005: 42-43. See: Kedit: 2013:151) The names attached to varying designs may sound intentionally odd as the use of euphemisms, metonymy, and complicated puns are inherent to some motifs. These are, in part, a reflection of navigating an extraordinarily rich domain of myths and of deities, of spirits and the inherent forces of the forest. The deepest content or meaning of the same design can also vary from one area to another. Despite their utmost hospitality and receptivity, some aspects of a great weaver's innermost thoughts or intent are seldom revealed in their entirety to an outsider (even when a design is readily recognizable). Doing so would be giving away respect for a collocation of forces that, combined with great technical skill, has been hard fought for and well earned. How a textile is bordered or framed is also important (to contain or properly hold its content). Even a common edging design like the 'drunken widower' (bali mabuk) while abstract and pentagonal possesses great meaning. Long ago, it was first described to me as a lonely old man going back to his quarters without a wife, without comfort. An aged weaver once fondly clutched my arm before she made a remarkably deft series of movements. Lifting her left arm and left leg over her right one in unison, she did an elegant two-step backward sweep, a pantomime intended to imitate someone swaying. Without words, she informed me that this element was not referring to a desolate or drunken old man but represented a dispatched enemy staggering just before crumpling to the ground. I repeat this tale so that our readers can perhaps better appreciate the deep fortissima yet quiet creative spirit of old-time weavers.
Rounding out this month's presentation are two remarkably fine pieces. The Benua warp ikat bast fiber skirt hails from East Kalimantan and was first exhibited in Europe in 1910. The second is a ceremonial or ritual mat with red cloth and cut Nassarius shell beads from Central Kalimantan. The design represents the Tree of Life that centrally features in the Ngaju and, in many other groups, creation myths. At the top of this tree sits Mahatalla, a supreme deity. Just above the tree's rooted base is a founding couple. Small upside-down figures are attached to the tree's branches that can be seen as symbols of a line's continuity, but whose fruit can also be construed as a prayer for heads as they were thought to contain the seeds of fertility and regeneration.
— Steven G. Alpert, founder of Art of the Ancestors
This introduction is simply a petite hors d'oeuvres to a much larger banquet intended to introduce an area where there is a long tradition of diverse and profound scholarship. Regarding Iban textiles, we recommend the scholarly writings and illustrations of impressive textiles by Vernon Kedit, Datin Amar Margaret Linggi, Michael Heppell, Robyn Maxwell, and Traude Gavin. Aside from the above, fine aggregations of Iban textiles can also be seen in notable published collections such as those formed by Heribert Amann or Susan Rodgers' catalogue on John Kreifeldt's collection.
1
Ceremonial Weaving | Pua Kumbu
Yale University Art Gallery
New Haven, Connecticut
19th century
Iban peoples
Cotton; warp ikat; natural dyes
Promised gift of Thomas Jaffe, B.A. 1971
ILE2012.30.34
2
Ceremonial Cloth (Pua) with Monitor Lizards Slumbering on Watchtowers (Bandau Bepadung)
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
19th century
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton, natural dyes
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene McDermott Foundation
1983.130
3
Ceremonial Weaving | Pua Kumbu
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
19th century
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton, natural dyes
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene McDermott Foundation
1983.127
4
Ceremonial Weaving | Pua Kumbu
The British Museum
London, England
19th century
Dayak peoples
Cotton, warp ikat, natural dyes
Donated by Lady Margaret Brooke, Ranee of Sarawak in 1896
As1896,0317.6
5
Ceremonial Textile (Pua) with Brooding Giant (Gajah Meram)
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
Late 19th century to early 20th century
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton, natural dyes
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund. Inc.
!988.125.McD
6
Ceremonial Cloth (Pua) with Shields aslant (Simbang Terabai)
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
Probably late 19th century
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton, natural dyes
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene McDermott Foundation
1983.129
7
Ceremonial Weaving | Pua Sungkit
The British Museum
London, England
19th century
Iban peoples
Cotton, warp ikat, natural dyes
Field Collection by Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak
Donated by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1866
As.3426
8
Headhunter’s Jacket | Baju Kirai
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
c. 1825-1875
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene McDermott Foundation
1983.134
9
Ceremonial Cloth | Pua Sungkit
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
19th century
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton, natural dyes
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene McDermott Foundation
1988.124.McD
10
Ceremonial Cloth | Pua Sungkit
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
Probably late 19th century
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton, natural dyes
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene McDermott Foundation
1983.131
11
Woman’s Skirt (Kain Kebat) with Moon Rat Design (Bebuah Aji Bulan)
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
Early 20th century
Iban peoples
Homespun cotton
The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles
Gift of The Eugene McDermott Foundation
1983.135
12
Woman’s Skirt | Kain Kebat / Buah Lintah
Yale University Art Gallery
New Haven, Connecticut
Mid-19th century
Iban peoples
Cotton; warp-faced plain weave, warp ikat
Promised gift of Thomas Jaffe, B.A. 1971
ILE2010.8.23
13
Woman’s Skirt | Kain Kebat
Yale University Art Gallery
New Haven, Connecticut
Late 19th-early 20th century
Ketungau Complex
Cotton; warp-faced plain weave, warp ikat
Promised gift of Thomas Jaffe, B.A. 1971
ILE2010.8.41
14
Woman’s Skirt | Kain Kebat
Yale University Art Gallery
New Haven, Connecticut
Early 20th century
Ketungau Complex
Handspun cotton; warp ikat; natural and synthetic dyes
Promised gift of Thomas Jaffe, B.A. 1971
ILE2012.30.86
15
Ceremonial Textile depicting Crocodiles | Ulap Doyo
Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen
The Netherlands
Before 1910
Benua peoples
Ikat, fiber, natural dyes
TM-48-121
16
Ceremonial Hanging | Amak Darae
Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen
The Netherlands
Before 1893
Dayak peoples
Rattan; cotton; paint; shell
RV-942-27
All artworks and images presented in this feature are the property of the attributed museums.