Tattoo Pattern
| Object Number: | P215 |
|---|---|
| Current Location: | Collections Storage |
| Culture: | Kayan |
| Provenience: | Borneo Sarawak |
| Date Made: | ca. 1897 |
| Early Date: | 1887 |
| Late Date: | 1897 |
| Section: | Oceanian |
| Materials: | Wood |
| Length: | 12 cm |
| Width: | 4.3 cm |
| Thickness: | 0.7 cm |
| Credit Line: | Gift of Dr. William H. Furness 3rd., 1898 |
Description
Flat piece of wood carved to leave a pattern in high relief. The block is inked and pressed onto the skin as a guide for the tattooing. Similar to a pattern identified by Furness as a Kenyah design "'kala asu,' the scorpion dog, - on the forearm," and by Hose and Shelford as a "Kayan dog design for thighs of men." An even closer match with a design illustrated by Nieuwenhuis as used by Kayan men of the Mendalam River. Two different versions of the design carved on front and back of block.
Current & Past Exhibitions:
| The Dayaks: Peoples of the Borneo Rain Forest (Furness, Hiller, Harrison Borneo Collection) (25 Feb 1989 - 01 Jul 1990) | View Objects in Exhibition |
Bibliography:
| [Book] Furness, William H. 1902. The Home-Life of Borneo Head-Hunters: Its Festivals and Folk-lore.. Philadelphia. J. B. Lippincott & Co. Type Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: following p. 148, No. 9. | View Objects related to this Type Citation |
| [Article] Shelford, R., and Hose, Charles. 1906. "Materials for a Study of Tatu in Borneo". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. XXXVI. pg. 1-48 Type Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: Plate VI, Fig. 1 | View Objects related to this Type Citation |
| [Book] Nieuwenhuis, A. W. 1904. "Quer Durch Borneo Ergebnisse seiner Reisen". In den Jahren 1894, 1896–97 und 1898–1900. Leiden. Type Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: Taf. 82, c | View Objects related to this Type Citation |
| [Book] McDougall, William, and Hose, Charles. 1912. The Pagan Tribes of Borneo.. London. Macmillan and Company. Type Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: Plate 136, Fig. 1 | View Objects related to this Type Citation |
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