Title
Ceremonial cloth
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
Borneo
Dimension
Object size: L177.2 x W72.4 cm
Accession No.
1997-04263
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng
This ceremonial cloth belongs to the Iban people of Sarawak, north Borneo that lies within the political boundary of Malaysia. The iconography depicts hook and rhomb motifs, reflecting Dong Son influence, a prehistoric civilisation in north Vietnam. This ceremonial cloth was patterned using the ‘warp ikat’ technique, where the vertical threads are tied and dyed before the fabric is woven. Such cloth served as hangings during ceremonies such as funerals as it is believed that ceremonial cloth would be injected with supernatural power and become avenues for communication with supernatural beings.
