4128: Pre-Contact Sculpture of a Female Ancestral Spirit.
Unknown Proto-Dayak group. West Borneo Island.
Hardwood. H: 22.5" (57.2 cm), W: 4.75" (12.1 cm), D" 4.5" (11.4 cm).
The unique hardwood sculpture, seemingly meant to suspend in space, represents a female figure giving birth, with the head of the baby emerging between her legs.
The left hand rests under her swollen belly, while the oversized right hand is held high above her head, either holding a crescent shaped object or perhaps in this form
is meant to cradle another object. The figure appears to be wearing a flat headdress with a long rectangular piece hanging over the left ear. There are odd angles cut
into the face and torso that are surely deliberate choices as they are consistent with the great age of the sculpture. It is likely these were ritually applied, but for what
reasons, are still a mystery. This object is one of several very old sculptures found in the western part of Borneo that represent an unknown early Austronesian culture.
Published in: Austronesia, In Pursuit of Origins. Martin Doustar, with contributions by Bruce W. Carpenter. 2022. Pages 74-75.
There is an additional image shown in daylight, that emphasizes the flat adze cuts along the length of the torso.
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