849 Museum Quality Antique Iban Dayak Beaded Wedding Skirt & Jacket Set

Museum Quality Piece.

Noblewoman's wedding ceremonial skirt & Jacket [kain manik] early 20th century.

West Kalimantan, Borneo Beaded skirt - powerful spirit motif.

Beadsand  embellishment on commercial cotton. Such skirts were worn on festive and ceremonial occasions: birth, marriage, death, harvests, and strong spirit motifs such as this were restricted to those in the upper echelons of society.

Motifs symbolise protection, prosperity, fertility and abundance.

Worn in Sarawak, Malaysia & Kalimantan, Indonesia (Borneo).

Approximate dimensions when laid flat:

Skirt: 21.5" long x 16" wide (at waist).

Jacket: 17.5" long x 15" wide.

Early 1900s

SOme signs of wear present.

REFERENCES
1. "Hornbill and Dragon" focusing on the material culture of Borneo's tribes.

2. "The Traditional Costume of Sabah"
The book has photos and drawings showing the costumes worn by seven of Sabah's tribes, including the Dusun and Maloh (Sabah is located at the northernmost tip of Borneo).

MUSEUM EXAMPLES:
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney

***

This item has spent a lifetime being used for the purpose of its creation with the original artist/user. Signs of this life lived heartily may be present on the piece in the form of stains, thread loss, loose threads, holes, tears, color run and other imperfections. Therefore the condition must be assumed to be “not” perfect. More photos of such imperfections will be provided on request.

***