Ethnical Items from Indonesia.
 

Hello
my brother for the time being, lives in New Caledonia,
he brought me from over there a carved ethnic dagger, mix; bone and wood,
and an other item, a carved bone in scull form, with feathers on top, as hairs
I tried to understand, but it's really very far from my usuals paths ...;
- what for this dagger, seems if I'm not wrong, as far I read, here or there, this was use on the ceremonial pig
it's could come from, Tanimbar Moluccas, Indonesia
and the bone used, is from a "water buffalo"
but what is this "ceremonial pig", and on what this dagger was useful,
as far as the pinky part it's in wood, and don't seems too harmful ?

the "scull" again, in water buffalo bone carved, want to looks like primitive ancestral amulet protection figure
origin from, Kalimantan Borneo Indonesia.
would have been carried by the owner, in a bag or pocket for protection ??

I guess that these two items are new, but I should like to know, if the informations collected are correct

with a lot of interest, I read the excellent post initialised by "Tim Simmons"
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=bones+dagger
that concern the really old artifacts, and not some "souvenir" like mine

à +

Dom

Hello Dom,

glad that this time I can be for help!

The bone dagger is indeed from Tanimbar and was used for killing pigs by ceremonies.

The skull is from the Gelvinck Bay (old dutch name, now Cenderwasih Bay, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenderawasih_Bay) and is called Korvar and normally much bigger and carved from wood. Normally they where used to keep anchestral skulls, so only the bottom part are from wood and in up there have been a human skull. The picture I have attached shows a orang utan skull. But they were carved as well complete from wood and kept in caves. Real old ones are very expensive. Small ones like yours was kept as amulets.

Both of your items seems recent to my eyes! :(

Regards,

Detlef

YOU BEAT ME TO IT :cool: HERE ARE A COUPLE MORE KORWAR ONE WITH THE ANCESTOR SKULL STILL HOME. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE OTHER ITEM, MOST PIG KILLING I AM FAMILIAR WITH IN THE REGION INVOLVES A SPEAR OR SORT OF A HAMMER LIKE CLUB TO STUN AND THEN EITHER A SPEAR OR KNIFE USED FOR THE KILL.
I AGREE THESE ARE MOST LIKELY RECENT AS THE SHOPS IN BORNEO I VISITED WERE FULL OF SUCH ITEMS. BUT SUCH ITEMS ARE RARE HERE WHERE I LIVE. :D

and your eyes are very sharp ;) ... yes, these two items are new
but as may be you know; "to horse offered, looks no teeth"
it's a present, doesn't matter the value, only the gesture and the intention, are important

Sajen, may you tell me, if under the ouran-utan scull, the support it's not a "barava" ?
my brother is back in France with a collection of at least of 10, each one more beautiful than the other,
it's a terrific job that to carve these fossil shell, it's very fine :p

this forum is very pleasant, we always found every time somebody,
who knows the answers to our questions,
thanks Sajen, for your help
as, thanks for Vandoo, to have bring his expertise

à +

Dom

Hello Dom,

not a barava, different culture. And the motif from baravas are different. Many motif from the Gelvinck Bay are very close to the motifs from South Moluccas since there was an early trade between this two areas.

Regards,

Detlef