Tattoo Pattern
| Object Number: | P236 |
|---|---|
| Current Location: | Collections Storage |
| Culture: | Kayan |
| Provenience: | Borneo Sarawak |
| Date Made: | Before 1897 |
| Section: | Oceanian |
| Materials: | Wood |
| Length: | 4.7 cm |
| Width: | 7.7 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. Repeat pattern, part of tattoo design covering a woman's upper thigh. Identified by Nieuwenhuis as a thigh tattoo with the motif of a human head (kohong kelunan). Described by Hose and Shelford (following Nieuwenhuis) as an "anthropomorphic design, known as kohong kelunan, human head, covers the front and sides of the thigh." This is a five- line example, for a woman of high class. (Compare thigh pattern illustrated by Nieuwenhuis of Tipong Igau, a "respectable woman."
Current & Past Exhibitions:
| Five Thousand Years of Vanity (06 Jan 1944 - 28 Feb 1944) | View Objects in Exhibition |
| 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] McDougall, William, and Hose, Charles. 1912. The Pagan Tribes of Borneo.. London. Macmillan and Company. Type Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: p. 257 | 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: p. 74, Fig. 3 | 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: Tatowierung B, Taf. 83 and Tatowierung C, Taf. 84 | 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: Tatowierung A Taf. 82 (n) | 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: Tatowierung C, Taf. 84 | View Objects related to this Type Citation |
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