Dayak Iban body armor?

[Bill M]

Well, not all weapons are made of steel, brass, wood and ivory.

This Iban jacket is ex Mark Johnson and Robert Caldwell. The seller says:

"Iban Dayak Culture, Sarawak Region, Borneo, late 19th Century. This is a very rare Man's war/hunting jacket or "kalambi"; the women weave these special jackets to protect their men from the arrows of the enemy and the evil spirits of the forests. Woven from hand grown, handspun cotton, with Ikat dyed main panels with rare Kilim or slit tapestry weave bottom border. The native dyes used are Kumba root for the red and Indigo blue to create rare anthropomorphic "engkaramba" protective spirit figures.

See Tribal Magazine number 29, Winter 2002. Measuring 107 x 61cm. (42 x 24")"

But a bit faded. The colors were originally much brighter. Apologies for the front picture looking distorted. Jacket was not laying flat when I took the pictures.

The Mandau on the left in my display picture is the longest in my small Dayak collection. OAL 25". The small knife on the back has a distinctly Batak influence.