A curious slashing weapon from northern Borneo.

Length 19.6 cm
Diameter 4.9 cm
82 grams
Bamboo, wood, rattan, stone, cotton thread
Dayak
Borneo, Indonesia
19th century
From a Dutch private collection
Description
A Dayak container made of a segment of bamboo. It is carved with designs of aso, a dog-dragon of Dayak mythology.
The lid is made of wood, with a face carved on top. The lid is connected to the container by means of a loop that passes through two holes at the bottom of the container, through two rattan loops on the open end, and then through two holes in the cover itself. A carved stone serves as a toggle.















This peculiar sword was used by the Garo people of Assam for fighting, clearing the jungle, and animal…
Silk horse mask from the Xianbei ruled dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 A.D.