Iban. Dayak. 34″ Fertility Staff. Gawai Melah Pinang. Ritual. Ceremony. Indonesia
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Sure, the Ibans / Dayaks were renowned for practicing headhunting to further territorial expansion. They had a fearsome reputation until the Europeans arrived with their colonization in the 1800s. Some headhunting episodes were reported into the mid-1900s.
There were rituals, ceremonies and festivals all to honor their gods and hence bring strength and prosperity to their culture.
There are still significant traditional festivals (gawai) to placate gods…. from farming-, war-, health- and death-related to fortune, fertility and weaving events.
This is a fertility staff that was most likely use by a tribal shaman or leader to gain favor of Selampandai.
The staff was acquired from the collection of Indonesian tribal art located in Connecticut USA.
It has some repairs but overall all pieces are intact. A metal stand is included with this staff.
For the Serious Collector.