Title
Sickness image
Year/Period
Mid 20th century
Region
Sarawak
Material
Dimension
Object size: 14.8 x 4.0 x 2.0 cm
Accession No.
W-0207
Collection of
Sickness images are used in the Melanau community to cure a person of his or her illness. The images are carved, usually from soft wood, and take on the form of the spirit suspected of causing the illness. The ‘dukun’ or spirit medium would use the image to extract the spirit causing the illness form the victim’s body. The image is then hidden in the jungle or set adrift in the river.
