4432: Charm for Head-Hunting Sword (Mandau).
Iban-Dayak. Sarawak State, Borneo Island, Malaysia.
Beads, cloth, wood. L: 20" (50.8 cm).
A beaded charm that would hang from the sheath of a head-hunting sword. Most of these charms incorporate a skull (or two) of
the sacred hornbill, an important omen bird and for the Iban, and a representative of the war god. This unusual example replaces
the hornbill skull with a similar wood shape, overlaid with beadwork, that includes the face of a protective spirit.
For price or additional information, please email your request, with inventory number and title description, to: majtribal@gmail.com.