These carvings have captured the distinct form of Aso, a Dayak dragon-like supernatural being. Dragon imagery in Southeast Asia has often been associated with water and the lower world. The Dayaks believe that this powerful dragon-like entity rules the underworld and is guardian of the dead. She oversees the journeys of the dead from one world to the next, and is also associated with both human and agricultural fertility. Due to her extensive realm of influence, Aso appears in the designs of many other Dayak artefacts. These Aso carvings were used as table legs.
