- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Unpainted carved wood spirit figure representing a widowed woman.
- Long description
- Unpainted carved wood spirit figure representing a widowed woman. The figure is carved from a single piece of wood. It has a hemispherical shaped hat with notches carved around the edge. The figure has carved ?hair or morning cloth which is also carved with notches. The figure's arms are bent at the elbow with the hands held up. The legs are also bent at the knee. The whole of the body, arms and legs are covered with notches. The chest has triangular carved decoration. The figure has a small hole running through it from the top of the hat to left side of the groin. [SM (Verve) 21/11/2013]
- Cultural groups
- Melanau
- Date / Period
- Date made: Before 1907
- Date collected
- By 1907
- Acquisition information
- Donated: 1907
- Materials and processes
- Material Wood Plant, Process Carved, Process Incised, Process Notched
- Dimensions
- Height 615 mm, Width: max 155 mm, Depth: max 180 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1907.39.4
- Research and responses
Description by Julia Nicholson and Beatrice Clayre for article in the Journal of the Sarawak Museum, forthcoming (1997):
Description:
Unpainted crouched figure in female human form shown wearing a Melanau sun hat (sera’ong). According to the Museum register and descriptions from Lawrence and Hewitt the drape shown at the back of the head is a mourning cloth, indicating a widow. In Oya this ‘drape’ would be the long uncombed hair of a widow (balew) in mourning. The head has prominent ears with scoop marks for earholes, flat eyes, a long nose and shallow jaw. There are short slashed lines on the trunk, probably representing hair (as in Oya) and slashes on the arms and legs. The arms are bent at the elbows and the hands and fingers are held up with the palms open. The feet have toes.
Habitat and Place of deposit:
Not stated. According to Lawrence and Hewitt, the dakan is left on the ground in the forest, but this would be the case only for a forest spirit (see classification and comparable pieces below).
Illness:
Curious numbness throughout the body, or great weakness.
Classification and comparable pieces:
The catalogue name is the same as in Lawrence and Hewitt, but this carving bears a pencilled name which read ‘Dohig iang [yang] balu [balew]. Yang means that it is from the under (water) world, and in Oya the slashes on the arms and legs would confirm this. If yang forms part of the name then this must be a water spirit and it would then be deposited in water.
See Morris, 1997: category 10.80 (Durhig yang balew) ; Lawrence and Hewitt, 1908: p. 401; Morris, 1997: p.*** check what page inventory no.49 is [JN]
The common name for Alstonia scolaris is ruk-attana, a light wood which decays quickly. (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online) [EB 12/3/2002]
1907.39.4
Unpainted carved wood spirit figure representing a widowed woman.
On display
1907.39.4
Digital asset copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
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